Posted: Tuesday, Jan 22, 2008 - 11:14:21 pm PST
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Kerri Thoreson

It takes a team to write a column

I have gotten by with a little help from my friends this week. Some of you may have heard I had a close call right after the Post Falls chamber banquet last Thursday evening. Pain in both arms, profuse sweating and tightness in my chest prompted me to ask Bert to take me to the ER at KMC instead of home. Good thing since I was in the early stages of a heart attack. I could and will sing the praises of the medical professionals we have right here. A full-blown attack was averted and I have added a second pair of arterial stents to the ones I had placed two years ago. A few days in the coronary care unit gave me a real appreciation for the work the staff performs. CNA Belinda (Bel) Rowe is an NIC student and one of those people who is absolutely in the right profession. She's big as a minute with the delightful accent of her Kentucky home. Bel is aware I write a column and since everyone was encouraging me to take it easy for awhile, she brought me a "gift" on Friday afternoon. It's a sheet of paper with the title "CCU-One Awesome Unit," complete with squiggly lines, a drawing of a heart and a pull quote, "It was fun!" Bel told me now that I could relax since she'd "written" this week's column for me. I'm quite sure that laughing out loud is good medicine.

Thanks for the phone calls, cards, e-mails and good wishes. And in keeping with Bel's gift of words, thanks to Kiki Miller and Stephanie Smith for contributing items to make this week's column painless. Check the blog listed at the end of the column where I've posted Bel's "column."

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Sholeh Patrick's recent contribution to Locks of Love nearly got her hubs Mike thrown in the slammer. Seems he arrived at the hair cutting session wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up. After giggling for a few minutes, the Great Clips staff figured he must be there to hold the place up since it was obvious he had no follicles to donate to the cause.

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Thirty-five in 30 minutes. That's the number of drivers spotted chatting on cell phones while behind the wheel. Max Jenkins of A & A Driving School asks his students to sit with a parent and count driver errors at two different locations. Student Trevor Smith and his mom, Stephanie, chose Kathleen Avenue and Ramsey Road as an observation point. They were amazed at how many drivers had a phone to the ear. Also shocking were the 11 drivers who made right turns while school children were in the crosswalk and the crossing guard had her "STOP" sign raised. Mother and son said it was a real eye-opener for them both.

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Happy birthday next Tuesday to Allen Hildebrant!

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In February Kootenai Heart Center is offering Heart to Heart screenings. Call 666-2083 for info. Happy endings are possible although heart disease is the No. 1 killer in this country.

Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. "Main Street" appears in The Press every Wednesday. Kerri can be reached at rkthor52@aol.com or on her blog http://fyinorthidaho.blogspot.com.