The Island of Two Trees

The Island of Two Trees by Brian Kennelly is is not a book that I would have probably picked up on my own.  Up until reading "The Lord of The Rings" series when I was in college and then later C.S. Lewis, I had no interest in Science Fiction and Fantasy literature.  I'm still not really into it, thus why I wouldn't have picked up this book on my own.  I received this book to review and was open to it in that I knew it was from a good Catholic publisher and would hopefully not have any objectionable material to share with my son.

The first chapter was more interesting to my 6 year old than to me, but soon I was so engaged in the book with my son that as soon as I picked him up from school, all the both of us wanted to do was to read it and see what was up next.

This book exceeded my expectations in every way except one.  There were a few typos, which I was disappointed in, but the content, and engaging story line as well as the obviously Christian (and Catholic, but not "too" Catholic where our non-Catholic brothers and sisters would feel left out) material was great for building conversations with my son and exploring the battles between good and evil that continue to this day.

I loved a particular part in the book where the author used a hypothesis from the Garden of Gethsemane to explore how bitterness literally takes root and how even the smallest and weakest can play a large part in God's story.

This was a great book in that my son and I were both engaged and challenged together.  I sometimes have a hard time reading youth fiction because it just seems so predictable.  This book was possibly one of my favorite books I have read this year and it was great to share it with my son.  You know the sign of a good book when a child would rather listen to you read it than watch TV or play with their toys.  I am grateful for the unexpected opportunity to have read this book and I think many others from age 6 (a mature 6) and up would get a lot out of this book.

“I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites”

Are Vets Real doctors?

I wouldn't think of saying this to my son's pediatrician, or to any medical professional.  Yet somehow veterinarians aren't always seen as medical professionals.  More than one M.D. has said to me, "I wanted to be a Vet, but I couldn't get into vet school."  Then a D.O told me, "is being a veterinarian an associates degree?"

A couple old jokes in the veterinary profession are, "Real Doctors treat more than one species," and "Veterinary Medicine- because Humans are gross!"  I actually got accepted into one of the top public health programs in the country, and that was my back up plan to Vet School.  They couldn't believe I would decline my admission.  But I did.  Veterinary school is actually one of the most expensive medical schools and let me tell you- when you get out, you don't get paid as much and you still need to purchase malpractice insurance.

Some clients understand the value of our education and I've had more than one ask me for medical or psychological advice (I decline and say that would be practicing without an appropriate license).  I've gotten into discussions with doctors, my own or relatives and have brought up valid medical concerns.  I try not to be "that vet," who thinks they know everything, but let's face it, I have to know about dog vs. cat and at one point cow, horse, sheep, turtle and chicken physiology.  Comparative biology is a thing.  I even participated in a shadowing program with a human MD and discovered how much is similar, and that cost is very much a limitation on how veterinarians practice, but almost not at all on how humans in an ER setting are treated.

Here's a recent exchange-

"What's this exam?  I don't want to pay for an exam, I just want the shots and test."

I calmly explained, "your dog is getting Rabies vaccine, by law that means it needs to be given by a veterinarian."

"Just what is this exam, what's involved?" She haughtily responded.

"The exam was what I did in front of you where I made sure your dog was healthy, I told you she was a good weight and I explained that you may want to start brushing her teeth, remember that?'  I calmly explained trying to keep my eyes from rolling back in my head.

"Well, I don't know why I need to pay for that."  She huffed.

"What you were paying for ma'am was my time.  The time I spent talking with you and the education that I went through that makes me a professional who is able to give your dog a rabies vaccine and interpret the results of the tests."  I could have added, "and now you should pay me for the extra time I've spent explaining to you that I'm a professional and my time is not free."

I never would have been so blunt a few years ago, but unfortunately this conversation, or the feelings behind this conversation are becoming more common.  My respect for other professions has grown through this time.  I understand why a plumber is a plumber and an electrician is an electrician. While youtube can help with some problems, it can't do everything.  When it comes to safety, there's no substitute.  That's why the government recognizes certain things, such as rabies vaccine as being specific to a professional.  It's not worth the risk of someone DIY off of youtube.

Exams before vaccines are necessary.  It used to be that veterinarians were able to charge less expensive exams because we would be compensated by the other items that were sold, such as food and medication.  Most people choose to purchase these online or from other sources, so we need to be able to charge a reasonable rate (way less than human doctors, by the way) for our time, our education and our continued education and sacrifices that make us competent professionals.  I have actually discovered serious, even life-threatening problems when animals have presented for "shots".  Please don't trivialize a profession’s value, either your doctor’s or your pets doctor.