Antithesis

By Dr. Jim Ferguson By the time you read this, it will be February. This year Groundhog Day will be on Friday February 2nd. Legend holds that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, we’ll have six more weeks of winter. Hopefully, it’ll be cloudy over Punxsutawney,...

Salt of the Earth

By Dr. Jim Ferguson Lately, I’ve become somewhat of a bird watcher. Perhaps this is because I’ve discovered it to be a contemplative exercise. I’ve always been an observer of nature, probably for the same reason I’m an internist. Details are important in internal...

Snow Days

By Dr. Jim Ferguson When I had a full time medical practice, snow-days were relaxing. My office was closed and hospital rounds were not dictated by a waiting room full of patients. How times have changed for me. Now, snow-days mean school closures and we get the...

Podagra

By Dr. Jim Ferguson Every week I wait for a story to find me. Sometimes a story is obvious like Trump versus The Swamp. Sometimes a story line just strikes you on the toe. When Becky and I built our retirement home we were sure to include a wood burning fireplace....

Reflections

By Dr. Jim Ferguson They say Christmas is for children, and I would agree, unless being around kids at Christmas makes you younger at heart. I have four grandchildren ages fourteen to one year old. The teenager is in a “galaxy far, far away,” and a bit too cool for...

‘500’

By Dr. Jim Ferguson As the year closes, I find myself considering an end to my weekly column in The Knoxville Focus. Aging doctors, and columnists, need to know when it’s time to go. As best we understand, humans are the only time-conscious creatures on earth. Perhaps...