Christian Photographers Community

Jane, thank God for on-the-ball bank transaction checker-uppers.   I had an email once, regarding a transaction, but it was mine.  They must have just been reassuring themselves since it was an email and not a call.  I'm so glad they caught it for you.

Boy, the weather sounds bad all over....except for here....our cold is over for now and we're having sunshine.  Rain is coming again though.
This IS Oregon, after all.

I felt pretty good today.  Maybe getting outside is good for me.  Ya think? lol 

Carol, I like Max Lucado too.  He writes like I think.

Judy, do you have high speed now?  That's wonderful if you do.

The wind here overnight has been horrendous.  Today was garbage day and I have all kinds of cardboard on my sidewalk and on the front lawn and garden from someone's garbage.     Oh well...

Larry, I hope that Stacey starts to feel a bit better.

Christie it's great to hear from hou.

Nita, praying for your whole family.

And to the rest a big "Hello!!!!"

Pat I was sitting outside Tim Hortons. Took about 20 minutes to do all that I had to do.  It was so good to have everything done that fast.

I was talking to Heather a little while ago.  Yesterday it seems all Ontario had rain that froze overnight and today snow.  While walking home Heather slipped and fell straightback on her head.  I suspect her brains were shaken from the impact.  When we were talking she sounded terrible and said her whole head was throbbing.  I am hoping her husband is on the ball and calls the ambulance if she gets worse.  I am 6 hours away, my hands are tied.  This is such a helpless feeling.

I have the first section of my bible study done.  Just the written test left to do.  Then on to section 2.  This is so enjoyable! 

I'm hungry and need to go to bed.  Nigt all see you tomorrow.

   Just reading all the posts again and the weather has been terrible here also some of my neighbours  got some small damage but it is just the time that it takes to get it fixed.

Etta Sue:  I am glad to here that hopefully your furnace will be fixed very soon you must be getting  very frustrated.

Larry:  Glad to here that your daughter got her  power chair fixed they do cost a lot of money to keep maintained as they are so expensive to buy I used to deliver them from where I worked for a while.  Many people have them here where I live.  Look after each other.

Must get to sleep.  Love in Christ.  Gordon and Noreen.

Good morning and Happy February!   

The wind has stopped, at least for a while, but it left some pretty cold temperatures behind.   Another month before we can start to depend on a little more warmth, and then a month after that spring will be starting to pop. 

Yesterday afternoon I replenished my pantry and freezer, and my propane tanks were filled two days ago, so now I'm all set for a while.  All I have left now is to go pay my property tax and then I think I'll just hibernate and leave the weather to the Lord.   

I haven't heard from Heather yet.

We Shall Behold Him....I love that song.

Judy, maybe that means Heather is ok.

I am looking out my window at sunshine this morning. Yes, first day of February, 2013.  There will never be another.  Sitting here with my cup of coffee....Seattle's Best.  I received a sample in the mail so made it this morning.  Not my best, but maybe it's a Seattle thing. lol

We are blessed to be sharing this day. Right?  God has planned our day, our days and our final hour.  Can you imagine?  We Shall Behold Him!  Face to Face!

Hi everyone.  I am late getting here this morning as it was the morning I needed to pay bills and take care of some other business.  I did go to coffee at the Senior Center.  It is currently 36 degrees outside and the sun is shining.  Winter has returned as to be in the high 20's tonight.  Pat didn't feel like getting out today so don't expect to have to go anywhere but to the mailbox and that suits me fine.  Am going ahead and posting before reading the messages from yesterday and today.  If I can't control myself I will post more but will be from my iPad, which makes it a little more difficult to post.

The wind was still terrific last night and the temps got down to single digits!  I didn't think the heat pump would work when it was that low but it did!  My house cooled some but still it was comfortable!  But I am sitting here drinking some hot tea.  The mailman just went by and I am dreading on going out for the mail.  I may just wait until tomorrow!

A church member loaned me a book to read....'To Heaven and Back' by Mary C. Neal, MD.  I started it yesterday.  A very good book.  I recommend it!

And I found out a niece got married yesterday.  The niece that had breast cancer three years ago.  Finally Keri is Mrs. Jeff Moore!

And her daughter, Jenna, sent me a message on FB to see if I could make her a scarf...picture included.  So I told her I could but for her to purchase the yarn, talk to the clerk to see how much yarn is needed and a possible pattern!  It's in her ball park now... 

I need to get busy and finish with the internet and then find some lunch.  Then read!!  Today seems like Saturday to me...so that means I have another day to finish the book and take it back to Nancy on Sunday...

My toes are cold!

Hmmm.....I thought I posted yesterday, but maybe not.  I had another busy day, as I spent four hours interviewing Dr. Tillotson, who practiced medicine here in Ulysses for 30 years.  Very nice, interesting man.  Then I spent another four hours typing up his story.  THEN I couldn't sleep; was still awake at 5 this morning, finally fell asleep for a few minutes but had to get up to be at Pat's by 8:30 so we could put color on each other's hair.  So this is likely what I will do this afternoon....  

I am trying to learn how better to use the Nook and the Kindle.  And I have been asked to work at the care home tomorrow. 

Hope Heather is all right, and everybody here, as well.  See you later when I can think more clearly.

Heather is still suffering major big time.  I'm encouraging her to go to the hospital, however she would have to take the bus to got there, that isn't a very nice way to go.

John is finally on his way home and he has made it clear he isn;t going out till Monday morning.  Yeaaaa

Have the final test to writ for the first section of the bibe study.  Looking forward to getting that done.

Hello everyone,  Judy Heather needs to get herself to the hospital ASAP, head injuries are nothing to put off. Praying she will be able to go to the hospital. I am still wishing I had gone in when I fell last April, I still have short bursts of vertigo but not like it was for 7 long months. I waited a week before I even called my doctor and was told that was too long. I really don't think it was though.

Yeah Nita and Jane lots of nice warm sun shine here today. When I took Happy for his walk we  went down the stairs into Boynton Park, then up those steep stairs to Skyline baptist parking lot. Happy got within 3 steps of the top and wanted to go back down, I was having none of that and kept urging him until he made it up those last 3 steps, gotta keep that old boy in good shape. Bebe only wanted to walk about ½ block.

We will be going out to our usual Mexican Dinner with friends to Los dos Amigos this evening.

Oh yeah by the way in 10 months I have lost 20 lbs and 2 sizes using Sensa. it does work, I was on a plateau from October until this month. I had to eat more calories in order to lose the weight. Women are supposed to have 1200 calories per day after hey subtract the amount of calories they have burned. So I have to eat from 1650 to 1985 calories depending how much exercise I do  to burn them off. I've done real good this month, but sometimes I feel like I am over eating but actually I am not. Men have to eat at least 1800 calories.

Hi, friends,

My internet's been down almost all week, so here I am, finally, using the church's. Mine will be back up and running tomorrow, thank goodness.

Got to go - the meeting has stopped and folk are leaving.

Ruth Ann

JudyB:  It is always a concern when you are not right there for the children.  Hugs & a prayer.

Terrible winter weather for so many of you - stay safe. 

Nita:   I used to frequent coffee houses in my U of Wash days before  Starbucks or Seattle's Best.  We like Dunkin Doughnuts coffee and anything Kona but use whatever is on sale most of the time. 

Heather was at the hospital tonight.  Yes there is concussion, there is nothing they can give her for pain.  This is just going to take time and she has to be careful...The be careful is mom talking!

Joh n is home, its late and we are heading to bed!

Hi everyone on a cold 27 degree clear morning in Georgia.  I stayed home yesterday and it was a busy day.  I spent the morning paying bills and other book work that needed to be done.  After lunch and resting I go busy and activated the Urgent Alert system for Stacey.  My timing wasn't good as when I tried to set up the details on her account it wouldn't take the info.  I had to call and found out they were working on that part of their system.  So I had to come back later and finish it up.  I plan on going down to see her today.  She had been out yesterday, including seeing the chiropractor, and when I talked to her last evening she said she could hardly move and couldn't get to her computer to read the emails I had sent her with requested information.  Sure hope she is feeling better today.  I need to stop at the hardware store on the way to pick up an item and also want to stop at Fresh Foods and get something for our lunch.  By the time I get home that will be a full day.

Etta Sue, it sounds like winter in the midwest.  Glad you got the heat pump fixed on time before this cold snap.  That sounds like an interesting book.

Janet, with not sleeping well I hope working at the care home today isn't too much for you.  I worry about you overdoing.  Ge patient with yourself on the Kindle and Nook.  What you learn on one will generally be applicable on the other although the menus will be different. 

Judy, sorry to hear that Heather is still suffering so much.  The timing is terrible with her just starting her schooling.  Glad she had the situation checked out and at least knows what the problem is.  Glad John is home for the weekend.

Marilyn, sorry to hear you still have time with the vertigo.  I will be going to Pablano's, for a Mexican lunch on Monday with my men's group.  They have very good food.  Great news on your weight loss.

Ruth Ann, it sure is frustrating to have the Internet down.  Do you have a data plan on your phone?  I now have high speed service on my phone so am not tethered to my home system if there is a problem.  It is called LTE and is a step faster than 4G. 

Carol, I like Dunkin' Donuts but you can have the coffee as it is too strong for me.   

Speaking of coffee it is time to head to McDonald's to meet my friends to get the busy day started.

Really bad "J" night last night, neither John or I slept well  The house was just too hot.  It is unfortunate that we cannot adjust the temperature  by thermostat That would be super! I fell back to sleep when it cooled down somewhat.
I woke up this morning thinking Uggg morning, and the song we sang "When Morning Guilds The Sky" came to mind, "My heart awakening crys may Jesus Christ be praised!".  Yes even on the ugggg mornings He is to be praised.

Here is a hymn we have never sung before!

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I don't think the ground hog saw his shadow here....but then, I didn't wake up until late in the morning. 

Coffee!  I used to order Kona coffee for Christmas gifts.  Flavored coffees.  Loved them for myself, too! 

I finished 'To Heaven and Back' last evening.  What a tremendous book!  Makes me 'jealous' that I haven't experienced God in that manner.  I have had two incidents that I think God was there or I wouldn't be here today!

I am tired of cold weather!  It got down to single digits again last night.  It is snowing right now but the wind isn't blowing as strong as yesterday.  I did venture out to the mail box to put in two letter and get yesterday's mail.  Not too bad.  Just don't like this chilly feeling all the time!!  I am sitting with my feet on my buckwheat microwaved pillow!  It sure feels good to my cold feet...even with two pairs of socks on!

I need to make a salad this afternoon for Small Groups tomorrow night and then I am going to see if I can whip out a crocheted scarf for myself!!  I might as well join the long scarf look!

My daughter in law's mother gave me a long scarf for Christmas, Etta Sue.

It's so nice to have the internet back. But, it also was so nice to be able to borrow the service from the church to use during a meeting taking place there yesterday.

I feel stuffy - sneezed literally all morning long.

Well, y'all have a wonderful rest of the day, friends,

Ruth Ann

Ruth Ann:  I hope your sneezing doesn't mean you are coming down with one of the bugs. 

Larry:  You'll be one happy camper to get everything set for Stacey.  Such a relief to have that extra care for her.

JudyB:  For the concussion - I hope they have Heather in a dark room for at least a day - perhaps more.  That is what they do for athletes anymore. 

Don put in a new electical outlet where the one has been iffy - ironing was really hit or miss using that spot so it is always great when he can do something himself.  He tried to work on cousin's DVD player but we all think the thing is just shot.  We visited with cousin & wife and she served strawberry cake with strawberry ice cream - yum.  I had told her not to fuss or fix lunch as we were going to eat before going to their trailer - of course, she didn't listen and it was so good.  I brought a table runner for her and she surprised me with knit socks - they are so cute & will come in handy with cooler days.  Homemade socks! 

Ready for church tomorrow.  We are used to an earlier service and 10 am seems so late - then, we have fellowship and it is almost noon when we get home. 

   Hi to all.  Well I got up to go to praise team practice and when I looked out the window it was snowing like crazy and it has not stopped all day I sure did get fed up cleaning my windshield on the van after we had stopped for longer than a few mins.

When we came out of the practice I thought that they had not even touched the roads with the snow ploughs  at least we made it home safely  I did go out again as we had to take our grandsons to a birthday party and the roads were terrible then after we left the party the boys stayed with there dad we went to Walmart and did some groceries shopping then came home and I could not believe how much more snow their was in the driveway and someone had already cleaned it out when we were away.  So I guess there will be lots more to do tomorrow.

Well you all have a great time tomorrow in the Lord's house and just Praise his name through Song and Preaching and Prayer.  By for Now .  Good night.  Gordon and Noreen.

My friend, Rose, passed away yesterday afternoon.  I am not really sad.  She went through so much these last 3 years.  Now she is in the arms of God. 

I am ready for church and have my new scarf around my neck.  For those who are into scarves, I found a You Tube of '25 Ways to Wear a Scarf'.  Put that in the search part of You Tube and watch.  I found three that I really like...I don't like the big bulky knot.  I had to keep repeating that part and turn around to do it!!  Finally, I got it!

Ivalou had her light on this morning so she is going to church also.  And tonight is Small Groups.  My salad is really to go!

Hi everyone.  If I remember correctly I think I posted here before starting my day yesterday.  It turned out to be a very busy one but successful in that I got the Urgent Response device completely setup and Stacey is now using it.  It even has a locator feature through GPS where we can go on line and determine where she is.  I don't anticipate needing to use this feature as we are not trying to keep track of her but should we not be able to reach her we could determine where she is using this feature. I did stop at the Fresh Market to buy a couple of delicious sandwiches and that is quite a store.  I don't think I could afford to shop there regularly.  It was 2:30 before I got home after several stops on the way down and back and was pretty beat.  I did sleep well last night and didn't get up very early this morning.  Pat is feeling like attending church so we will be going in about 60 minutes or less.  It rained here last evening but is a clear morning.  They had several inches of snow in the North Georgia mountains.  Tonight is the Super Bowl, which I will watch but don't care much which team wins.  The commercials are unbelievably expensive running up to close to $4 million dollars for a 30 second ad but they must pay off as they reach a huge audience.

Judy, when you mentioned Uggg I thought you were referring to the shoes.    Sorry you had trouble sleeping due to the heat. 

Etta Sue, you are certainly having chilly weather.  It seems that my feet stay cold most of the time and that is why I enjoy the electric cover I have so much as the can feel the heat on my feet and legs when I lay down.

Ruth Ann, glad you are once again connected to the Internet.  Sure hope you are not experiencing another cold. 

Carol, you are right about my being happy to have the life alert matter settled and working.  I don't know what else I can do regarding her health.  She was feeling better yesterday but is now having trouble with her eyes and I sure hope it isn't diabetic related.  She hasn't been able to read her computer screen for several days and had to get out a magnifying glass to read something on a letter she received.  Sounds like you ladies had quite a gift exchange.    Our church service starts at 11:15 so it is always late when we get out and if we go out to lunch it is usually 2 pm or after when we get home.  That is why Pat and I sometimes don't go with the group so we can select a place that we can be seated and served fairly quickly and get home a bit earlier. 

Gord, Jeanne Lee found a product that keeps the snow from sticking to her windshield.  Unfortunately I don't know the products name as that isn't something we need here in the south.  It sounds like you all are almost snowed in up your way.

Etta Sue, where there has been such suffering and no chance for recovery, death is the ultimate healing. 

Some way, my notifications have not been working.  I really miss the emails, and dislike having to type CP (fully) into the search bar, then go down to find the last post.  Oh, well, here I am!

Work was fun yesterday, but I found after I went to bed that my legs were aching so bad, I had to get up for some Tylenol.  I'm glad she only calls me now in sort-of-emergency situations.  This time, one of the homemakers stubbed her toe and broke it, and had to stay off her feet for at least a couple of days.

Super Bowl Day!  Big day for all the football fans!  I had to laugh the other night, I think it was Thursday or Friday, on Hannity's show.  They sent out a guy to the streets to talk about the Super Bowl.  He asked people if they were happy about the outcome, and not one person even realized the game hasn't been played yet!  One ditzy gal, he asked how she enjoyed the half-time show, and she said she thought it was one of the best she'd seen.  He then said, "What did you think when she brought her baby out there?"  And the answer was, "Well, I thought that was a little bit much."  (Or similar.)  Oh, my.  Do they ever watch those things and even realize how ignorant they look?  Hmmmm.

Our church is having a super bowl party.  We MIGHT go until half time.  More comfortable to watch it at home.  Then I can do other things, as I'm not a big football fan.  I enjoy watching with Darrel, but likely wouldn't watch any of the games alone.

Oops!  Darrel is already ready to go to church, and I'm still in my pajamas!  I'd better get with the program!

I will be so glad when all the hype about the Super Bowl is over!  Of course there will still be a few days of re-hashing everything.  And then, of course, it will be baseball spring training and pre-season games, etc.  Oh well! 

The product I found that Larry referred to is for the prevention of frost and ice when the car is idle.  It's by Prestone and is called "Frost and Ice Shield".  It comes in a plastic spray bottle and really seems to help in preventing that ice buildup that is so hard to scrape off.

We are at Timmies again for the wifi service they have free.

I had an ultrasound this morning, which I was supposed to fast for......unfortunately no one told me about the fasting and I had a smoothie before going.  Hoping this doesn't me having to repeat the test.

We had a great evenng of company last night, friends from Powassan who are raising their grand-daughter.  At the last minute I put some muffins together so we would have a snack toeat with our coffee and hot chocolate.

I will wait to post a hymn till Pat posts, then I can post something thjat applies  to her devotional!

Bye for now

Jeanne, don't forget those 4 MILLION dollar, 30-second commercials!  They have to dissect those for days afterward, as well!  I wonder if Coca-Cola regrets releasing theirs early, since it "offended" the Muslims and stirred controversy.  Some people don't seem to have enough things to be concerned about!

Our friend Mary called as we were leaving for church and said she will be here this afternoon.  Wish I had some idea of what time.  But I can leave her a note on the door if we go to the party at church, she knows where that is and can come find us, or call me and we will come back home.  She's a little late--she promised she was coming to spend Christmas with us!     

My laundry is almost all done.  Guess I will do some housework next.  Fun, fun.  NOT.  But I am very thankful to have a house to clean, one that is warm and comfortable---and paid for, too!

I'm just chit-chatting, better get off here!

Here is another of my stories!  Hope it doesn't get lost when the new Thoughts is posted!  Enjoy!

                                              DON R. TILLOTSON, M.D. 

Don Tillotson was born in Frankfort, Kansas on January 25, 1932.  He was the eldest of four children of Raymond and Amy Tillotson.  Don has one younger brother, Paul, and two sisters, Peggy and Betty.  When he was young, the family moved around a lot for his Dad's job; in fact almost every year, until he was about 12.  At that time, his Dad decided to go back to farming and moved his family to Shields, near Dighton.

Since he was one of four children, he always had someone to play with as a kid.  They enjoyed playing cowboys and Indians, backyard football, and other games.  They attended movies, paying 10c each for their tickets.

Don attended school in Shields, in a two-room school for 3 years, finishing his elementary schooling.  Then he attended high school in Dighton, graduating in 1950 in a class of about 45 students.  He enrolled in college at Kansas State University, obtaining a degree in agriculture.  He returned to the farm and worked with his dad one year. 

While at K-State, in his senior year, he was working as a volunteer counselor for freshmen.  He saw a girl he knew from Garden City, sitting with another girl.  She introduced him, and this girl was Shirley Miller, also from Garden City. He and Shirley married in 1955.  After he graduated, he worked for Production Credit Association for a while.  When Shirley's oldest brother was killed in a tragic accident, Don took over his farm near Deerfield for a few years.

The accident in which his brother-in-law lost his life was an explosion and fire in a restaurant in Utah.  A propane tank exploded, causing the fire in which 15 people lost their lives, among them Shirley's brother, his wife and one of their two children.  Their seven year old son survived.

After farming there for 3 ½ years, Don decided to return to school and study medicine.  At K-State, he took another year, doing pre-med classes, then transferred to KU Medical School for an additional four years, following which he worked at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri for another year, doing his internship.  Don says he had a lot of really good teachers during all his school years.
After his internship was finished, the family moved to Ulysses where Don went into practice with Dr. Marshall Brewer.  He grinned as he told me that in those days, office visits were $3.00.  He said Dr. Brewer knew everybody, and all their names, easing the way for Dr. Tillotson, who was (and still is, he says) naturally a little bit shy.  He said he and Dr. Brewer got along very well during the 30 years they worked together, even though they each had their own style of practicing medicine.  Dr. Tillotson said he really enjoyed practicing medicine, especially taking care of pregnant women and delivering their babies, even though he wouldn't have wanted to do only that aspect of medicine.  He said he was better with heart problems than Dr. Brewer was, and Dr. Brewer was better with other things than he was, so things balanced out well.  He says he really misses working with the people, but doesn't miss those phone calls at night!  He found a lot of satisfaction in helping people, even though there was sadness, too, and tragedy at times.

Dr. Tillotson and Shirley had three children.  The first two, Scott and Gwen, were born while he was still farming, so they got to be there during his med school years.  Jill was born at the end of his first year of med school.  The couple borrowed money from both sets of their parents to pay for his schooling.  He says he considered it a privilege to be able to repay that debt, and they have always appreciated the chance their parents gave them for him to become a doctor.

Don and Shirley are really happy with the choices each of their children made when they married.  They feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in their family.  They have also been blessed with six grandchildren.  Tragically, one granddaughter lost her life after a valiant battle with cystic fibrosis, and they miss her dearly.

He said that in the early 1950s when he was in college, gasoline was 19c per gallon.

When his dad moved the family to his grandfather's farm, the granddad still lived in a sod house.  The younger family had a two room house with a windmill and an outhouse.  The two boys, Don and Paul, slept in a small frame building with no electricity and no heat.  He said that wasn't necessarily typical for the time, but does show some of the differences from then to now.

When I asked how manners and morals today compare to when he was young, Dr. Tillotson said when he was a boy and young man; he thought everybody was good and honest.  He maintained this belief until he attended medical school and began practicing, at which time he found that not everyone was honest, and some had very different attitudes.

His hobbies were (and are) fishing and hunting.  He always enjoyed spending time outdoors, and really missed that during his years in medicine.

When speaking of travel experiences, he said his Mother had distant relatives from Wales.  Her grandpa lived in the U.S. but would go to Wales and bring different relatives to the states.  He brought a nephew and a niece here; the niece really wanted to live here, but because her brother wanted to return to Wales, she had to go back, too.  But the relatives here kept up correspondence with her through the years, and the Tillotsons decided to go there to visit in 1990.  They also visited England and Ireland.  In 1999 or 2000, they went back, along with his two sisters and their husbands and visited.  The granddaughter of the above mentioned niece took time off from work to drive them around and show them the sights.   Don's brothers, sisters and families have reunions every two years, and this lady comes to attend those when possible.

In the summer of 1997, the Tillotsons went to Alaska with a 5th wheel trailer and spent the summer.  Friends from pre-med school went with them on that trip and several others, including going by train across Northern Mexico and to the Copper Canyon.   Dr. Tillotson got his pilot's license and had his own plane for several years, and they flew to Baja California once and also to the East coast.  He really enjoyed flying and regrets having had to give that up because of health problems.

The accomplishments of his life that gives him the most satisfaction is being able to practice medicine in the area in which he grew up, among people he understands and appreciates;  and being married to Shirley for 58 years come June of this year.

A valuable lesson he wants to share with younger folks is this:  Find something to do with your life that you really enjoy, and then go for it!

He thinks the best years of his life were those given in service to this community in the practice of medicine.  Dr. Tillotson retired from practice in 1996, but Dr. Brewer kept on going as long as his health allowed.  We both agreed that Dr. Brewer was one of the last of the old-time country doctors.

One of the first things he saved up to buy was a shotgun—an old one from WWII from Germany.  He still has it.  He bought it at the age of 16.

Some of the jobs he worked were one summer helping to survey terraces for the Soil Conservation;  and later, he thought he needed to get some experience in taking care of people, so he got a job helping a lady take care of her husband, doing things like helping bathe him.  This was good experience for an aspiring doctor.

He was in a play once in high school, but was not comfortable being on stage, as he was shy.

Dr. Tillotson enjoys a lot of Christmas songs, especially the old ones.  He enjoys singing in a group.

One memory he shared was a story told by his grandmother.  She said they lived near Frankfort, and Indians used to travel back and forth between reservations, passing by their house.  They were never a threat, always friendly, but would stop sometimes, wanting to trade with them for things like sugar or flour.  One day an Indian came to the door with a small child, and Don's grandmother, a small child as well, was behind the door when her mother opened it.  She didn't think he could see her, but he could see her through the crack of the door, and jokingly said to her mother, "I'll trade Papooses with you."  That really scared the girl, as she thought he was serious.

Don's favorite food is a good steak.  His favorite movies are good westerns:  Shane and Lonesome Dove.

He says he wishes he had gone to medical school earlier.

Don learned to drive on his own.  It didn't seem strange at all, as he had been driving a tractor since the age of 12.  His first car (and it really belonged to his brother) was a 1948 Chevrolet convertible, blue in color.  His brother was in the Navy, was sent to Panama, so he let Don use his car while in college.

His scariest time was when he was in second grade.  They were visiting his great aunt, who had become sort of a grandma to them.  He and his brother were out away from the house, near a big shale cliff that had a huge colony of cliff swallows.  They were watching the birds, hundreds of them, and there was a huge long snake lying underneath the nests, along the base of the cliff, probably eating any eggs that fell from the nests.  He thinks this was a coach whip snake.  The snake saw the boys and came after them, hissing!  They ran as fast as they could and outran the snake, but he still remembers how scared he was.  He said that was a really fast snake!

Dr. Tillotson hopes that our country can get our democracy back.  Huge corporations can donate big sums of money to election campaigns and gain unfair advantage.  There is too much division between political parties as to how to accomplish their goals, even when they can agree what those goals should be.  The voters don't seem to have much importance.  There do not seem to be any real statesmen any more, as the only concern of those already in Washington seems to be their own re-election.

The person who most inspired Don was his Dad.  He really admired and respected his wife's father.  He was a really nice guy, and a successful farmer.  Don has many warm feelings for him.

The first president for whom he voted was Dwight David Eisenhower.
He feels the greatest achievement of the USA, and he hopes we can maintain it, is having a stable, mostly successful democracy, with freedoms most of the people of the world do not have.
The worst crime Dr. Tillotson remembers is the murders of the Clutter family near Holcomb.  This impacted his family because the Clutters were friends of Shirley's parents.   An interesting story in connection with that incident was told to Don years later.  This fellow told Don that on Sunday afternoon, following the murders on Saturday night, he and a friend had been out hunting together.  They got into an argument, and his friend jumped in the car and drove off.  This man started walking down the road, and when he came to a farm house, he went and knocked on the door, carrying his gun with him (he had been hunting, remember.)  The people yelled at him to get away from there, so he walked back to the road again.  He hadn't heard about the murders at all.  The weather was very cold, and he thought there was no way he could survive out there, and it was a long way to town, so he walked back to the farm he had just left.  He heard sirens, and the sheriff drove up and arrested him, took him to jail, and he stayed there several days.  Once he heard about the murders, he understood all this, but it was a real shock at first.  When they finally decided he had nothing to do with the Clutter murders, he was released.

Don never had his mouth washed out with soap, but it was threatened!  His favorite comic strip is Zits.

He remembers his dad saving up for a family vacation for two years.  They went to the West coast, to California.  His dad was interested in engineering marvels such as the Golden Gate Bridge, but the family enjoyed many sights.  Don was six years old at the time, and still remembers that trip.

In fourth grade, Don attempted to learn to play the melliphone.  He sang in choir in school, and still enjoys singing in groups.  He played both football and baseball in high school.

He reads a lot, mostly medical and science books.

Some of the big changes he has seen come to our area of Southwest Kansas are the change from ditch type irrigation to sprinkler systems, which are so much more efficient; and the big strides in developing new varieties of wheat, corn, etc., to increase yields.

Don remembers the big blizzard of 1957, also those awful dust storms of the '50s.

Don's parents took their family to church regularly, a practice continued by Don and Shirley through the years.

The worst thing that has happened to Dr. Tillotson was the loss of a dear granddaughter because of cystic fibrosis.  He said that having been through medical tragedies with patients families may have made his own easier to bear, but it is still very hard.

The best thing that has happened to him was marrying Shirley.

He would like to be remembered with respect and affection, as the mothers he cared for when they were having their babies seemed to think of him when he would meet and talk to them years later.

The legacy he wants to leave is the three honest, upright, good people his kids grew up to be; the kind of people he admires.

The greatest lesson he has learned in his years is how to love and accept other people who are having problems.  Everybody deserves love and respect.

A really special part of his life was the part of medical school when he got to start working with patients.

Dr. Tillotson enjoys classical music.  He likes Robert Service's poems from the gold rush days, especially The Cremation of Sam McGee.

His favorite TV show was M*A*S*H.  He says it shows the doctors in all of their humanity, telling their story accurately.

When he misbehaved at home, his punishment was a spanking.  In high school, Don was a really popular name, and they had 6 Dons in football, so the other kids nicknamed him "George."

He always liked dogs, and his favorite was an English Setter named Molly.

He was bullied some in school, but retaliated by hitting the one who hit him.  He got a bloody nose for his trouble.

Dr. Tillotson's favorite flower is the yucca, he says because they like the same kind of places he likes!

If he gets a bit depressed, Don goes off by himself and plays a computer game to take his mind off the problem.

The most important decision of his life was in choosing whom to marry.  He said, "I was looking for a western Kansas farmer's daughter who was a Methodist.  I did find that, but didn't realize then that there were a lot more things to consider.  We have spent almost 58 years working out all those things!"

He feels his worst fault has been not recognizing sooner when he was at fault and making amends more quickly.

If he were to give an 18 year old advice, it would be "Find what you really enjoy doing and go after it!"

The smartest thing his parents ever did was allowing their kids to be who they wanted to be.

This kind, caring, soft spoken man and his family have been a blessing to the Ulysses community for many years, and continue to be.  I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with him and wish them well for many more years.