Another Reason Not to Live Here

A week ago last Sunday DH decided that he couldn't wait for the gardener to cut the althea that was on the roof, so he got a step ladder and started to do it himself. (We are getting a new roof). He fell and hit the back of his head on the brick windowsill, sprained his wrist dreadfully (had to wear a splint for a week) and got a hairline crack in his skull as well as 9 stiches. He wasn't going to go to the hospital; he just wanted to stop the bleeding.
I got him to the ER at 8:00; we didn't get home until after midnight; it took that long to see a doctor. And that brings me to the reason for the post - medical care. It stinks here. As we get older, if we have any kind of traumatic accident or heart attack, etc. we are probably not going to survive. Three years ago my father had an aneurysm in his abdomen. He was rushed to the hospital (in Hot Springs - not here) and in a very tricky operation was saved! We don't even have a doctor in this town that could do that particular procedure/operation. If my father had lived here, he would have died that morning without ever getting on an operating table.
Yeah, life in a small town. It just seems long.
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The Loneliness of Small Town Life

It's been quite a while! Son and daughter-in-law are home after 3 years in Europe, and just flew back to D.C. this week. They spent tonight at the hospital waiting to see what was wrong with my niece. Son has never lived in the same town with relatives (except my second husband's) and the first time he gets to, he spends most of his 2nd day there at the hospital emergency room. The 22 year old niece has ruptured ovarian cysts which will be taken care of next week.
No other real news here in Notown, except the satisfaction of having Son here and having him say, "How do you live here, Mom?" There's nothing here. No art museum, no concerts, no plays, one restaurant (other than fast food), no Starbucks (you can't get a real cup of espresso in this town unless you come use my machine). And then there are about 18,000 people, at least 60% of whom live below the poverty level (and in Arkansas, that's really saying something!).
There's nothing quaint here, no cute shops, and the landscape is flat with cotton fields and soybean crops. Yes, on top of everything else, it's ugly here!
Does anyone else live in a similar place, and if you do, how do you cope? (The nearest city is an hour and twenty minutes away through bleak landscape).

No wonder I'm in love with my computer!

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