It was zero at our house Monday morning. My sister told me that at their house a quarter mile away, it was -3.

I’m so glad the weather guessers got it somewhat wrong. They predicted 4 – 8 inches of snow. Kimball and I guessed that we got two inches.

I was up about 4 a.m. Sunday and flipped on the floodlights. A fine snow was blowing hard out of the east.

Davis’ dog, Caddee, wouldn’t even go out the north door all day Sunday or Monday morning. She took very short trips out the carport door and was soon barking to get back in.

Kimball let Bella, Adrian’s street cat, out the north patio door and she apparently raced to the south patio door to get back in. Caddeaux never got close to a door.

– I had an enlightening conversation at the hair cut store (as the kids used to call it). We were discussing Cedar County Memorial Hospital and the mother of a rising star in health care said her child told her that the staff at CCMH is really good and saves a lot of lives. They stabilize patients and get them ready to be transferred to a facility with more specialized care.

I had never thought of it that way. I know they took me out of my house on Dec. 21, 2013, in a coma with pneumonia. My brother-in-law, Tom Gough, who came down with an oxygen tank and probably saved my life, got in the ambulance with the crew. Tom said I was in shock and sweating so profusely no monitors would stick to my skin. So finally they decided they had to get me to Cedar County Memorial.

I found out later that they took x-rays, worked their magic and sent me by ambulance through the ice storm to the Mercy ICU where they kept me alive for 17 days in a coma. Then Mercy shipped me to Select Specialty, a small hospital in Springfield that had me conscious in three days.

One of the first things the wonderful staff there told me was, “You almost died.” I replied, “So?” and meant it.

Kimball, who attends all the hospital board meetings, just told me that the regulations say that if a person has a stroke, the ambulance crew must take that person to the “nearest appropriate facility” which would normally be a stroke certified hospital, which CCMH is. That stroke center is why Dr. Casey is back to his regular practice after his health scare. That and the Good Lord. Same reason I’m still alive.

– You’ll notice in Carla Griffin’s letter to the editor she says that door traffic is way down at the Cedar County Memorial Hospital emergency room since the ambulance district changed its service provider and that affects the rest of the hospital. The ambulance crew is supposed to ask patients where they want to go. Is it just me or is it a strange coincidence that all of a sudden patients “ask” to be taken somewhere other than Cedar County Memorial Hospital? CCMH is interested in bidding on providing ambulance service. Well before the contract deadline, the Cedar County Ambulance District Board (CCAD) voted to notify Citizens Memorial Hospital that the Board wanted to take bids on ambulance service. John Wilson, who was chairman of the board at that time, said he would notify CMH. But Mr. Wilson resigned and said he forgot to make that notification. Apparently it will be next year before the CCAD can take bids.

Meanwhile, if you want the ambulance to take you to your local hospital, make your wishes known. KL