Red Cells and White Cells and Platelets, Oh My!

BOX SCORE 11/5/24 Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 12.7 13-17 v Platelets 165 140-375 v ANC 2860 1800-8300 v Well, 'tis the season!  Most of the pumpkins in our neighborhood have disappeared, along with the spider webs, witches, ghosts and goblins of all sorts. The rain is falling frequently, much to Jill's chagrin. She is using the treadmill as I write this, in lieu of our daily two mile constitutional around the 'hood. (She campaigned for a treadmill last year and is mostly glad to have it for days like this, but confidentially, she really hates using it. She'd rather walk outside, as would I.)  The Christmas commercials have

BOX SCORE 11/1/24 Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 13.2 13-17 ^ Platelets 178 140-375 ^ ANC 3050 1800-8300 ^ Perhaps, I shouldn't admit this, but sometimes at night, when I have difficulty sleeping, I turn on my iPod and use the YouVersion Bible app as a kind of white noise. It helps me get back to sleep. The stories are familiar and comforting, so I drift off pretty quickly. I want to state here and now, however, that I have never fallen asleep during a sermon in church! In the Bible, there are numerous stories about dreams. Jacob, Joseph, Laban, Saul, Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar, Joseph of Nazareth, they all had dreams, in which God sent them a message of one ki

BOX SCORE Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 12.5 13-17 v Platelets 170 140-375 v ANC 2540 1800-8300 v   For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:   a time to be born, and a time to die; (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2) I lost a brother last night. He wasn't a blood relative, but our history goes back to 1967, when we were a couple of green freshman at University of Oregon Dental School (UODS). Brian's family name was Crockwell, and since mine is Waugh, and since we were always seated alphabetically, we didn't get to know each other much at that time.  Brian went to Grant High School at the same time that I was attending Madison

BOX SCORE 10/18/24 Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 12.8 13-17 v Platelets 168 140-375 v ANC 2650 1800-8300 v In 1961, when I was a sophomore in high school, there was a movie produced by one of my favorite producer/directors, Frank Capra, who made lots of feel-good movies. The title is  Pocketful of Miracles , starring Glen Ford and Bette Davis. It was a musical remake of an old story that has been portrayed on film numerous times. Frank Sinatra recorded the theme song, and it made a splash, but my favorite version was a cover by a sunshine pop group called Harpers Bizarre. Here's a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haPojzbcMgw And if you don't like to

BOX SCORE 10/18/24 Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 12.8 13-17 v Platelets 168 140-375 v ANC 2650 1800-8300 v One of the things I have discovered in walking with God is that He actually does talk to people. I mean, it's not audible in my case, but there is that "still, small voice of God." (1 Kings 19:12) That verse comes from a story about the prophet Elijah who is still beloved in Israel. The story happened nearly three thousand years ago. His return to announce the coming of Messiah is anticipated every year during the ritual Jewish Seder meal eaten at Passover.  Elijah had an interesting role in the history of Israel. One of the most iconic stories of Elijah is described in 1 Kings chapter 17 and following. The Lord told Elijah that a drought was coming and would last until God told

BOX SCORE 10/11/24 Element Current Std. Range Trend Hemoglobin 13.3 13-17 ^ Platelets 218 140-375 ^ ANC 3420 1800-8300 ^ Our grandson, Judah, is 15 years old. He is an A student, soft spoken, polite almost to a fault, and a holder of several world titles in free style martial arts. When he was little, he loved to watch the " Power Rangers " on TV. He became interested in swords of all descriptions. At about 7, he enrolled in "Karate" classes at a dojo in San Diego, just like his older brother before him, and his younger brother after him. By the time he was 9 he became the youngest member of the dojo's senior demo team. The team competes at the n