Being married over 54 years has so many advantages and perks. The few problems we have seem insignificant, until they happen. Last Wednesday was like no day I have been through before.

When you get our age and have someone living with you who is 74 and 96 years old, the main thing seems to be going to doctors.

As some of you have read, we have had some problems in the physical area. Tammy is being treated for ovarian cancer. Betty Jo almost died from being treated too good for pneumonia with too many antibiotics. Donna had more heart problems and Uva, with her ailments for being blessed with being here a long time, had her little toe cut off on her good foot. Other than that, we are doing well.

Now for those marital problems. When Betty Jo, my first wife, got to feeling better, she made an appointment for me with a dermatologist in Albany, Dr. Greenfield. No special reason, except my skin is sorry. The doctor took a melanoma cancer off my arm a few months ago and said that my arms were so bad she gave me some cream to spread on them for three weeks.

I should have known something was wrong when they had me strip down to my briefs to check my arms. I took the treatment, or we could say the treatment almost rotted my arms and hands off.

Yes, I called to see if I should continue the treatment and was told it did that to everyone. My arms continued to swell and spew, until my daughter, Tammy, thought they would burst and called the doctor for an appointment so she could see what I looked like. I went, and she said I had better quit using the cream. I had quit using it a few days prior.

Dr. Melinda trimmed a couple of more spots that needed work on. One was my ear, the other my neck. She said she didn't do ears, so I was sent to a Tallahassee doctor.

I tried to get out of that, but Betty Jo and Tammy wouldn't have any of that. I guess they figured if they could go through what they have been through, I could go through a little cutting, sewing and patching.

Dr. Armand Cognetta Jr. has a procedure where they cut awhile and test the cut awhile. They started cutting around 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. He cut a hole in my face you could have dropped a snuff can in. He did several cuttings on my right ear.

I apologized, posthumously, to all the hogs that I marked their ears. I know how they felt.

The surgeon cut a hunk out of my neck, and hit several spots on my back with the freeze gun. Guess he got tired of cutting and said he was done. I notice that he didn't do too much sewing on the hole in my face or my ear. He said he was sending me to a plastic surgeon to fix what he couldn't. I left there about a quart of blood low, about a pound of flesh less, and a do-it-yourself package to take the stitches out that he had put in a couple of weeks.

We drove a few blocks to the appointment with Dr. Ben Kirbo, a former Bainbridge man. I knew I was in trouble with him when there wasn’t anything but young, pretty girls sitting in the waiting room. I was the only old, cut-up man there.

Dr. Ben must have had some compassion since he packed the hole in my face with something, and sewed it up with a spool full of thread.

I figure that I could try out for the Scarface role. They have made two movies already, and it’s about time for a third.

My first wife, who watched the bloody mess, mentioned that was going to be a large scar across my face.

The doctor assured her that it would look better, someday. He then started to cut on my left ear. I reminded him that it was the right ear that needed the work. After he had cut a hunk out of my good ear, he measured the hunk to see if it fit the left ear hole.

I asked the cutter why he didn't use some of that meat from my face. He said he hadn't thought of that, maybe next time.

After sewing up the holes, putting on the meat patches and burning the bleeding vessels, they put enough bandages on me to make the Mummy jealous. I think he might have placed my heart in my right ear. They finished their handiwork about 3:30 p.m.

Dr. Kirbo said he would see me Monday to pull and cut some of those stitches and see if the skin patch took. Betty Jo turned whitish. The doctor ask what was wrong?

She said we were supposed to go to the mountains Monday. That was my first smile of the day.

I got in a full day Thursday. I’m in better shape than most, just look like a rabbit. The throbbing has stopped, so everything is going to be all right.

God is good all the time. All the time, God is good.