Fall in Review

Fall,  busy, productive, full of change.  I'm glad to be writing to you on this side of it.  I love fall but it is a tremendous amount of work seeing how school starts and harvest begins for much of what I put away for the winter.

This fall we put up about 50 quarts of applesauce, 20 quarts of which were off our own little trees.  That was much fun!  We usually get most our apples from Jerrie's parents.  Also while my Dad and Mom were here we put up 16 dozen ears of corn.  That was such fun.  We did 8 dozen a day and it took 3 hours from start to finish.  Grandpa and the boys shucked it, Grandma and I blanched, cooled and cut it off of the cob and then froze it.

Oct. 12 was Jer's surgery.  He made it with flying colors.  We got a Game Ready ice machine this time around.  That was huge assistance in his recovery.  It enabled him to only take the heavy meds just the first day as they gave him a tremendous headache which he said 'was worse than the shoulder pain'.  That's bad.  He is currently doing physical therapy (PT) at home, his home work from the Physical Therapist.  His shoulder is not normal but it continues to improve.  As long as he doesn't do sudden movements, rescue boys, or catch grocery carts from falling off a curb into nearby vehicles it doesn't give him much pain.

The first weekend following his surgery we harvested two thirds of our grapes and canned 90 quarts of grape juice...our best year ever.  I hope we drink it all.  They look so happy sitting out on the shelves in the garage.  We had almost finished up the last third when Davy had his zip line accident...the chickens got those grapes.

We are glad to be past Davin's injury.  They say 'time heals all wounds', to be sure Davin is doing so well.  We had our last visit to the surgeon on Nov. 23.  We were told by Dr. Kipp that Davy doesn't need to come back.  He was really pleased with how well Davy has recovered.   Davy continues to wear his new coat that Carhartt sent him. Carhartt has no idea how much they made his day.

I almost forgot one of the most important happenings of the fall.  We hatched baby chicks.  One of the Buffs went broody and we put eggs under her.   God is good, we got two hens :)  My Mom told me I wouldn't have to take care of the babies because Midge (the momma Buff) would teach them and care for them.  She is right.  It was so nice to not have to look at them round the clock.  She taught them to drink, eat, and made sure they were warm enough.  It was so fun to watch them 'cave' underneath their momma.  They would peck on her chest, she would rise up just a bit and they would burrow under her and disappear from view.  The 'little girls' should begin laying in about 4-5 months. We also had a Brown Leghorn go broody so we put more eggs underneath her.  What a difference, she was a HORRIBLE mother.  She let her babies die and we were crushed.  It turned into a great teachable moment about the value of human life.

Thanksgiving came this year.  We have much to thank our Jesus for.  Number one is family and that we still have all of them.  We went to Jack and Sandy's home (Jer's oldest  brother).  It was a very relaxed day full of fellowship, and food.  Lots of it.  We played games and just hung out. 

The following Saturday (yesterday) was the boy's last mowing day for the year.  We knocked out five lawns.  Next weekend the guys will winterize the mowers and weed eater.  Business was good for the boys again this year and they put more money into their Roth IRA's.  It is neat to see how God wires us.  Some of us are savers and some of us are not.  We always encourage them to put at least 1/2 of their earnings into their Roth but some of the guys add extra.  Davy is already looking forward to March when we start the next mowing season.  

Blessings to you all as the next season approaches.  We pray you take time to remember the Reason for the season and enjoy and hug all those around you.

Love from the Lyda's

Courage

"Courage is contagious.  When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened."  - Billy Graham

Today's quote (as selected by Jerrie)

"Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys."  - Billy Graham

Through Austin's broken neck five years ago and Davin's brush with death 20 days ago Becky and I have increased, substantially, our appreciation for the value of a day.  We have this one day.  We savor hugging the boys, reading stories to them and listening to their excited chatter about various things.  A scratch on the car isn't so big a deal.  A broken glass is okay.  Take seriously the role God has given us as parents and hold the stuff of earth with loose hands.  It will rot, but our kids are of immense value.

Today's Quote (as selected by Jerrie)

"The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage." - Mark Russell

Davin's New Coat

Today we received a package in the mail from Carharrt.  The packing slip read, "Davin, get better soon!!!!!!!"  Davy could not believe his good fortune to have a brand new Carharrt jacket. He couldn't go to sleep this evening. 

The wound on Davy's neck has healed very well.  He had no problems with infection.  His jaw is mending.  There is still pain.  Probably will be for some time, yet. Tomorrow is his second follow up visit with the surgeon.  I got the rest of the tape-parking-lot off his face with my eye makeup remover.  It was the only thing that would take it off without having to scrub like crazy.  Any scrubbing was too painful so he had tape residue for quite some time. 

We want to thank all of you again for praying for all of us.   I will be doing a 'normal' blog in the future that includes our other happenings over the last month. :)  Blessings to you all.  J & B

God is good

November 5th, 2011 started out as a normal Saturday.  The usual sleep in until 7AM, no showers and a start to a normal work day at home of various chores.  Unfortunately our day quickly changed.   It was raining outside, and basically gross.  Davy was getting bored being inside, as usual.  He is an outdoor guy who loves climbing trees, mowing the lawn, rototilling, shooting bow and arrows, using knives, and all manly things.  He and his big brother, Zachary, built a zip line a few weeks ago using a sturdy rope and bicycle handle bars.  All the guys had launched out of the tree several times and coasted down into our garden most of the previous 4 or 5 weekends.  So it was all good.  Davy, clad in Jer's old Carhartt jacket, had just promised me that he would hang on tight and not let go.  But I was worried about it being slippery as this day was wetter than any previous day the guys ran the zip line.  My worst fear came true.  He launched out of the tree with more of a jump than usual and his hands lost hold of the handle bar grips.  We ALL watched as he fell 10 feet, arms over his head, and landed on the T-post at the end of our nectar berry row.  His neck hit the post, and then the collar of Jer's Carhartt jacket held tight to the top of the post.  Davy was kind of hanging there suspended by the jacket on the post, yelling in an awful hurt kind of voice.  Jer was out the door with me and the rest of the guys following right behind.  We of course have seen many bang ups before but we never expect them to REALLY get hurt.  Not like this.  It was just a fear right?  Wrong.  We saw a little blood on the jacket and then on the side of Davy's neck was a huge, gaping hole, 4.5 cm to be exact, plus a smaller 2 cm tear.  I asked Davy if he could move his hands and feet.  With a weak voice he said "no".  Jer was holding Davy and trying to get the jacket off his collapsing body.  As Davy passed out in Jer's arms, I thought he was dead.  I sprinted back into the house, called 9-1-1 and screamed "We need an ambulance now!  Give me an ambulance now!"  Jer carried Davy's limp body into the house and carefully laid him on the living room floor.  He grabbed a clean sock from the clothes basket and pressed it against the hole in Davy's neck.  Thankfully blood was not pouring out.  Davy came to and was scared.  Jer was saying "Davy, look at me.  Look me in the eyes.  Stay with me buddy!  Stay with me!"  Davy was in shock but to our great relief he could move his arms and legs.  Later we learned that an ambulance was on the road near our house and arrived only 4 minutes after I called 9-1-1. The EMT's were great!  They quickly assessed the situation, put in an IV and called for life flight to take Davy to Emanuel Hospital in Portland because the neck wound was deep and so close to Davy's carotid artery.  They pulled Jer and me aside and said a helicopter would be less bumpy, much faster and would give Davy the best chance.  They strapped Davy to a board, stabilized his neck and loaded him into the ambulance.  Jer went with Davy.  The rest of us watched with tears as the ambulance pulled out of the driveway.  About that same moment the life flight helicopter flew over our house.  Davy was taken from the ambulance and loaded directly into the helicopter only 18 minutes after I first called 9-1-1, amazingly fast.  Our sister-in-law, Deanna, stayed with the boys and I picked up Jer from Newberg Hospital and we drove to Portland.

By the time Jer and I arrived at Emanuel the trauma team had already completed a cat scan and Davy was in a room being prepared for surgery.  A trauma doctor told us Davy did not have a broken neck, there was no apparent artery damage but he did have a broken jaw and more test results would be coming soon.  They took him into surgery.  Jer's folks arrived and joined us in the waiting area.  About two hours later the head surgeon told us the surgery was a great success.  They irrigated the wounds, put in deep tissue stitches, glued the surface area and left a drain tube sticking out to let fluids find a way out.  He found no artery damage or nerve damage.  The location of the neck wounds were incredibly well placed.  He said "Davy had good aim."  And for Davy's broken jaw, he didn't wire it shut because the break was in the joint and wiring it shut may cause it to fuse.  He said there may be some long term cartilage damage but only time will tell.  He wants to see how it heals.  Good idea!!

Jer stayed with Davy Saturday night at Emanuel.  I came home and took care of the boys.  Deanna stayed with the guys again on Sunday and I drove back to Emanuel and found Davy in the game room with Jer and Andrew Phillips, a good friend of the family.  Davy's neck and jaw were more swollen but his eyes looked alert.  The drug cloud and shock cloud were gone.  Davy was hoping to come home as soon as possible.  The various doctors signed off and we drove him home Sunday around 4 pm.  We all slept very well that night.

On Monday, Austin and I took Davy to see Dr. Dierks, his surgeon, to have the drain tube removed.  That evening Davy's appetite returned and he ate more pasta than anyone in the family.  He is bouncing back faster than we can believe.  On Monday he said, "I've rested enough!  I need to mow the lawn or something."  Today, Tuesday, he is acting like Davy again.  I'll say it again...God is good!

Thank you, family, friends, and those we don't know, for praying for our #2 son, Davin.  We know God works in many ways, not always how we have planned, but He has a plan we cannot see. And we trust Him.

Also a special thanks to Deanna and James for all the assistance here at our home.  I came home to fed boys, a clean house, clean laundry and dinner on the table.  Some might think that is trivial.............NOT!  It is my job!  And I really appreciate feeling free to leave and not worry about the rest of my boys.  :) :)

P.S.  I almost forgot.  We believe that the the Carhartt jacket of Jer's that Davy  was wearing just might have saved his life.  He had taken to wearing it a few weeks earlier.  About every day that was cold he would wear that jacket out and about.  We didn't think about it until Monday evening when we began to really look at the jacket.  You can see the strike marks of the T-post hitting the fabric and also some of Davy's skin on the inside of the jacket.  Without that old, thick, rugged jacket between Davy's neck and the edges of the T-post we believe he would not be here with us but home with Jesus.  If you look closely at the graphic photo of Davy's neck you can see the brush burn left by the coat.  About 16 years ago when Jer bought that jacket from a friend in Alaska...God knew!  God is amazing!  It makes the brain fuzzy thinking how He can know the future.  I'm glad we don't.

Note to self:  Tell those you love that you love them, give lots of hugs, remember that every day is a gift, and as my dad says "Don't sweat the small stuff."

October

October is here with all the smells of fall.  Rain is dripping / pouring off and on.  Leaves are turning and we are all hoping for snow this year.  (One can always hope.)  Oregon is such a mixed bag, you never know when you may see white out the window.

The summer flew by in a flash seeing how there wasn't much of it.  It was cool till August when it finally went into the low 80's, and it wasn't until my folks drove out for a visit the first week in September that we actually had almost 2 weeks of 90 degree weather and the tomatoes finally ripened.  Last year they rotted in the garden because of the cool summer. 

The picture on the right is from a bouncy slide and two pictures (bottom right) are of Zachary and Davy when we went to the coast in August with Eric and Kim Poulin and their family.  Eric's sister, Jen and her husband and kids were there, too.

School is off to a great start this year.  The guys have more subjects and more work.  (They don't like the more work part.)  I tell them "Hey, it's part of life.  We don't always get to do what we want."  I was wondering how much of their school knowledge would stick in their brains over summer and was pleasantly surprised to see they had retained a lot!  Jerrie is taking over writing class this year each evening after dinner.  It is a huge help to me, Becky, as I'm not the best at writing and Jer certainly enjoys it.  He inspires them to do well and they love the break from class with MOM.  We are working hard at getting more done than required so we can go to VA this next Jan. to spend time with the Miller clan and not take homework with us. 

As for October we are looking forward to going to Long Beach in Washington, Halloween candy and Jer having his surgery over.  I'll be sure to post pictures if I'm allowed and maybe even if I'm not. :)

- Me.  =)))