Here’s the second installment of memories from Aunt Naomi…
I suppose one remembers best events that are either happy or sad and the rest of the in between mundane things go unremembered. My next memory was a sad memory. My brother Lloyd and I were raking the leaves and both of us wanted the rake. I don’t remember what led up to the crisis but I do remember running with the rake, and Lloyd running after me trying to get it. I was running with the forks of the rake turned upward. Lloyd stepped on the rake. I next remember a furry of activity –mother disinfecting and a trip to the local doctor. I think there was one at Henley –I have to check on this for accuracy. Lloyd spent I don’t know how many days at St. Mary’s hospital. There was concern for a while that he might lose his foot, as gangrene had set it. However, the doctor was able to save his foot minus a few toes. My mother never did say the accident was my fault. I always was thankful for that. I suppose most mothers would feel that it was their fault and I am sure mother did. It would have been very hard for me to have that on my conscience, as I felt bad enough as it was. I must have been around 4 when this happened, because Lloyd was 2 years old. Likely he was close to 3 and I close to 5.
Naomi Vetter says
Maybe some of the older siblings remember this and can add to it. I remember feeling so bad and sitting out on the east house steps scared to death.
Mahlon says
I don’t recall anybody thinking even for a minute that it was your fault. The two of you were going to rake the yard and you headed around the house to get started. This happened on the south side of the house and mom right away put kerosene on it (the treatment of the day) and the doctor at Henley said that was good for it. Later on he said he wished he had made opened the wound on the top of the foot so drainage would have been better and it wouldn’t have gotten infected. This being a country doctor he didn’t know all the new medications being used. Dr Taylor in at St Mary’s had just been in the military taking care of wounds like this. He used penicillin. That was the first time it was used in our family. It must have worked because gangrene was very serious back then. Lloyd was in the hospital for his third birthday. He was in the hospital for a long time. We just prayed day to day that he would get better. When he came home the folks gave him a beagle hound puppy for his birthday.To pay for the hospital stay we took in whatever vegetables were available, dressed chickens, etc. The whole hospital bill was paid for with produce from the farm. No cash.
Aunt Lolly says
Naomi I am surprised you even remember that! You were only four years old! a baby yourself. I think Lloyd was in the hospital about 6 weeks? Cleo do you remember? All during that time Mother and Dady were not allowed to see him or hold him, We could only look at him through a window, and watch him. (Lloyd wasn’t allowed to see them) That must have been hell for Mother and Dady. Years later, I heard Dady say to Mother, (This was after Lloyd had done something he shouldn’t have) ” You deal with him, you said I could never lay a hand on him!” He was our gift from God.
Lloyd Jr. says
I was pretty old before I figured out why dad didn’t want us to run around bare foot like everyone else. I’m blaming Uncle Lloyd that I’m such a tenderfoot.
Christina Rowland says
I hated wearing shoes! I was probably a bane to our dad….but the one time I put one of those hay forks we used for pulling bales into the barn through my foot I was wearing tennis shoes….go figure!