The end of September had a few bumps for us. After the rain on Sept. 19, it was too wet to combine for a few days. Instead, I baled some flax straw while Gregory and the neighbour, Leon, worked on John’s new well.
Harvest started again Sept. 24. We worked on John’s oats for a few hours until they started getting tough.
The next day Gregory and I took the boys out to the pasture to check the cows and their water. Unfortunately, James took a tumble and landed on his right elbow. He cried a little and then went back to playing so we didn’t think much of it. Later, when I took his jacket and shirt off, I discovered that his elbow was badly swollen. We tried to take him in for X-rays in Biggar but the emergency services were closed, so we ended up in Rosetown. After about three hours, we had some X-rays, and the doctor referred us to the pediatric orthopedic specialist at the Jim Pattison Children’s’ Hospital n Saskatoon, where he was supposed to get surgery for his fractured elbow the next morning. We got home around midnight and then were able to be in the hospital, which is two hours away, by 7:00 the next morning.
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Unfortunately, James was not able to have the surgery done on Monday, even though the poor guy had been without food or drink since midnight the night before. It was a good thing that he is a tough kid because he was also never offered anything for the pain. Around 3 p.m. they sent us home and told us to come back the next day around noon. He was allowed to eat and drink then, but not able to have anything after midnight again.
Surgery finally happens
Finally, Tuesday afternoon James had the surgery on his elbow. He has two wires to hold everything straight and in place so that hopefully the elbow joint will have proper movement and function as he grows.
While I was in Saskatoon with James, Gregory and John kept combining oats. I’m not a confident city driver so our good friend Bill drove us to the hospital and picked us up when we were done. It was very helpful not having to worry about keeping James comfortable and driving in the city.
The next day I had to stay home with James as he was just tired and sore. Of course, little Ian needed attention too, so it was a long day. The next day I was able to get back in the combine.
Our parish priest was able to join us for some harvest fun Oct. 1. He’s from India and hasn’t had much experience with harvesting oats and barley. It was a good experience for everyone.
The next day I started weaning foals. After a few days to settling down, their refresher course in halter training starts up.
Harvest dragged out for a bit. We were not able to get started very early thanks to the dew and we usually had to quit right around dark because the oats would get tough quickly.
Finally we finished harvest Oct. 8! The next day we celebrated Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for.
