The Accident

I will post a journal of our day today, May 19, 2005.

I got up about 6 am, when my husband was just getting out of the tub. I had to make him a salad for him to take to school for lunch. It consisted of one head of red leaf lettuce from our favorite farm market person, Ed (his lettuce is the best because he has a donkey and horse to help fertilize his garden--it's so sweet), mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, and boiled eggs. I packed some red wine dressing with it. He also took some apples and oranges to snack on.
(Can you tell we're into raw vegetables and fruit?) Actually, eggs are not on our diet, but everyone cheats once in a while, right?

Virgil had a couple of tests today, so while I packed, we discussed some of his test questions, and planned the day. Josiah got up around 7am, right before Virgil left, and they sat on the stairs together awhile to "connect."

When Virgil left, I fixed me some watermelon while Josiah put in a Scooby Doo movie. I checked my email while I ate, then fixed Josiah some fried eggs with toast and an orange. He usually eats raw fruit and french toast for breakfast, but we were out of bananas and pumpkin (I use pumpkin to make the frensh toast, because he has a dairy allergy and I have to replace the milk with something).

Josi wanted to check on his stocks, so he logged onto Sharebuilder.com and saw that it had gone up about 43 cents. You should really check into sharebuilder. It's a great learning tool. Larry Burkett recommended it (Moneymatters radio program, Christian Financial Concepts, cfc.org). It only costs $4 per month, you can have the money withdrawn automatically each month, they send you regular statements by email, and you can buy or sell online. Josiah decided to double his investment amount, so he changed that, and agreed to pay me the amount which is automatically withdrawn from my checking each month. His grandma gives him money each week as sort of an allowance, so he uses that.

The neighbor stopped by to ask if he could borrow the dump truck, and Josiah helped him unhook the trailer from it so he could pick it up when he came back. He asked if Josi wanted to go with him to pick up a load of dirt. While he was waiting on Larry to come back to get the dump truck, Josiah worked on his CB radio. He installed it in his car yesterday, and wanted to see if it would transmit out the driveway. He put one by my desk so I could talk to him while he drove out the driveway. (Josi's been driving on the farm since he was 7. His first vehicle was a Toyota truck--now he drives an antique Crown Victoria).

I was busy typing an outline for Virgil (he can't type), but I tried to communicate on the CB. It wouldn't work, so Josi set it up on the porch and begged me to come out there to use it. I abandoned the outline for time outside with my youngster. It was beautiful. I set to weeding my flower bed. I'm a multitasker. I can't stand to only do one thing at a time if I can do more.

The CB worked fair, but not to Josi's satisfaction. He tried various things like adjusting the antenna, changing the mic, and driving closer to the house. We went in for a snack (Josi had grilled cheese, and I had cantelope.)

When the neighbor came back, they left to go get the load of dirt. I took advantage of the time alone to straighten and sweep my bedroom. I had to rearrange the furniture a little--what little there is of it. When Josiah was born, I was 36 and too "mature" to go up and down the stairs to nurse him at all hours of the night, so I put a mattress on the floor next to my bed for Virgil, and let Josiah sleep with me. Since then, we've all gravitated (no pun intended) to mattresses on the floor. Now that I'm used to it, it's much more comfortable. We have three mattresses in my bedroom, and Josi likes to sleep with us, even though he has his own bedroom for daytime activities such as playstation. I painted a little dresser green for my room yesterday, and there is a cedar chest for blankets, a shelf for linens, and a shelf for books. While I cleaned, I munched on cucumber sticks (no seeds or peelings for me).

When Larry brought Josiah back, I was ready to paint a table for the kitchen. Josiah wanted to paint a rusty place on the back of his car, so he found some silver spray paint. I was looking for a paint brush after I sanded the table, when "it" happened.

I pulled all the drawers out on a big tool cabinet in the garage looking for a brush, and the cabinet fell on me (slow motion as the drawers all fell out more.) I screamed, and Josiah ran for the neighbor, since he didn't know his number (actually, he drove the car to the neighbor's, about 1/4 mile down the road.) I figured the car would be safer than the four-wheeler. We don't usually let him drive on the road. Anyway, they finally got the cabinet off of me (about 1000 lbs. worth of metal counting the tools) . I have a big scratch on my leg and lots of bruises.

Virgil came home shortly with groceries (lots of bananas, watermelon, cantelope, oranges, onions, potatoes, canned pumpkin, and fresh pineapple). Yummy! He snacked on some crackers and cheese dip. He did alright on his tests, he thinks. He worked on Josi's CB a little--crimping some wires and fittings together for him. Then they went to town to get a jar of Barley Green from a distributor. I ordered some, but it hasn't come yet. I know the fresh veggies and fruit will help my bruises and cuts heal faster.

I felt much better after a warm bath. I did take a Tylenol right after the accident to ease the pain, even though I know it's not really good for me. It makes my insides bleed. (no kidding)

While some dishes soak in the sink, and the dryer turns, I am typing this post for my blog. Virgil and Josi will bring home a movie to watch so we can relax a little before bed. I will fix them some snacks, probably watermelon and oranges, and will read Josi a Bible story before lights out.