NOT FUN AT THE FARM!

Friday was NOT a fun day at the farm!  The girls and I went uptown to get some mail off and get rid of cardboard and newspapers in the recycle bins.  On our way back we stopped to pick up eggs at Fonstads.  When we drove to the end of the lane there was a text from Clare on my phone.  I stopped to read the message "I'll need Carter's health number.  He has hurt his arm." I texted back, "We will be home in 5 minutes, health card is in his suitcase." (Shauna had sent those with the kids, along with their passports!) When we got close to the farm we saw the ride on mower tipped in the ditch with a JD tractor and bucket beside it.  Whatever had happened?  How serious were Carter's injuries?  No one was at the farm to answer our questions.  The health card was quickly found and Abbey texted Clare with the number and the question "Where are you going?"  The reply "I met the ambulance, not sure if Estevan or Regina yet."  I'll spare you more details and get to "the rest of the story".

 Carter had driven the mower to a vacant farm just east of here where Clare had bins purchased from the owner.  Now the bins were going to be moved so the grass around them needed to be trimmed.  On his way back to our yard, Carter was just a few feet from turning into our driveway when he met a truck pulling a trailer.  Dust and gravel flew from the tires as it sped by. With the thick dust and shattered windshield Carter couldn't see. The mower edged too close to the ditch and tipped over, with Carter's right arm under the roll bar.  Clare was there shortly but couldn't lift it off. A call to Jason brought the help needed.  The arm had a cut to the bone so Carter was helped into the cab of the truck and he and Clare were off to get help.  He had x-rays in Estevan which showed two broken bones in his forearm but the deep cut was a bigger concern so he was sent on to Regina later in the afternoon and had surgery around ten that night.  Clare, Jodi and Shauna's sister Lauretta were there to support him.  Clare spent the night with him.

In the morning, I washed up clothes for Carter and the girls.  We packed up their things, fixed some buns for a picnic lunch and were off to Weyburn.  We met Clare at their house, had our lunch and continued on to Regina with him to visit Carter.  At Milestone we stopped at "Simple Joy" for a quick visit with Laurel and some tasty ice cream cones.  We also dropped off Ashley's bike and a few things that had been forgotten at the farm.  Carter was glad to have visitors and his sisters were especially glad to see their brother.  He was lying in bed hooked up to an IV cart that had to go everywhere with him.  Soon they were off to the games room to enjoy some Wi . Abbey was his assistant, helping him get around with his IV cart.  The children's area has activities for all ages.  Jamie and Lindsay had fun doing activities with their cousin Tara, who arrived not long after we got there.  I visited with their Auntie Lauretta while Jodi and Clare went out for lunch and a break from the hospital.

A nurse had said the doctor would be in to see Carter after surgeries were over and that he might be discharged then.  Lauretta said she would stay until Kirk's came after their flight from Boston to Minot. (They were able to change their flights and get home a day earlier than they had planned.) They left Minot about 4:30 so it was decided we would go back to Weyburn with Clare and Jodi.  Kirk's would pick Lindsay and Jamie up on their way through.  The girls were hungry for KFC so we picked up a bucket and enjoyed our supper at Clare and Jodi's.  Kirk's arrived before 7:30 and two happy girls headed back to Regina with Mom and Dad.

I decided to head home too and had a good night's sleep.  Now I have just talked to Shauna.  Carter was discharged and they headed home last night after picking up a prescription for Carter and a few groceries to get them over the long weekend.  They got back to Lampman around one this morning.  The kids enjoyed watching Monsters Inc. on the way. (at least until they fell asleep!)  Carter and the girls were still in bed when I talked to Shauna  around nine this morning.  Carter's arm does not have a cast because of the incision.  He has to see the surgeon and plastic surgeon in two weeks but the dressing is not to be changed and not to get wet!  Carter has exercises to work on - like "piano playing" with his fingers and "hitch hiking" with his thumb.

Accidents happen and we are so thankful that this one wasn't much worse.  A 17 year old boy on a farm west of here is also in Regina General with serious head injuries after a bike accident at the end of their driveway.  He has driven bikes for years, but failed to use his helmet on this occasion.  Our prayers are with him and the Ashworth family as he lies in an induced coma.  We are thankful for doctors and nurses who are ready to use their skills, late in the evening on a long weekend, to restore broken bones and repair tendons.  Special thanks to staff on the 4th floor at Regina General for taking great care of our Carter.  Thanks for your concerns and especially your prayers.  Please continue to pray that the incision will heal without any infection or complications, and for patience for Carter who will not be involved in the sports that he loves until his arm has healed.

It's quiet at the farm today after two weeks with grandchildren visiting.  But the quiet won't last long as harvest will be underway this week with its busy schedule.

My boarder, Jeff, is leaving tomorrow for Quebec where he will spend four weeks in firearms training for Canadian border patrol.  I wish you well, Jeff.  We'll see you in October.  Hopefully most of the harvest will be completed by the time you get back.

No pictures on today's post, unless I add some later.  Now it's time to get ready for morning service at Trinity.  See you later this week.  Happy September and a very Happy Birthday to my nephew Jason Sanford who arrived on this day in 1971.