October 24, 2020

I started this post almost 2 months ago.   Time to finish.

 No rants here today.  This is a very special day.  My sweetheart of a husband was born on September 4, 1940, 80 years ago.  Delivered by the hands of his two grandmothers. Grew up in small towns in first Missouri, then Kansas then back home to Missouri near his birthplace.  He attended a country school near his home.  One teacher and 8 grades.  Only the teacher only taught every other grade each year.  So grades 1, 3, 5, and 7 one year.  The next year was 2, 4, 6, and 8.  He attended 4 years of high school in the nearby town of Aurora.  Over the 54 years since I first met that handsome guy I have become convinced he is like a cat with nine lives.

5  year old Hubby with paternal grandparents and baby brother.

During a fund raising project for that old Liberty grade school he and some other kids were walking to different houses selling pie supper tickets.  The money would be used to buy recess play equipment.  Kids being kids, Hubby jumped into a ditch. His right wrist landed on a broken jar.  The glass sliced his wrist cutting the vein.  One of the other boys grabbed Hubby's wrist using his hands as a tourniquet.  The two kids, each about 9 years old, stood in mild panic.  From out of no where a taxi came down the street.  At first the driver did not want the bloody boys in his cab.  One look by the cabbie and the boys were loaded into the cab.  Hurried to a near by doctor and sewn back together sans pain killer.  The doctor did it at his desk with Hubby's arm draped across the pull out that old desks always had. There is still a scar that is attached to tendons, ligaments or muscle.  When Hubby attempts to straighten his fingers, the next to the little finger will not fully extend.  And the scar area is pulled into the wrist area.  One lady fainted right out on the floor when Hubby showed her.  It may not be pretty but it closed the wound.  That Garrout boy. a cabbie and old Doc. basically saved Hubby's life.   Life # 1.

Freshman year Hubby had a sore throat. His mom treated him with kerosene mixed in sugar. She thought it was just a minor sore throat.  Doctor visits were for serious issues.  Hubby reached a point he could not climb the stairs of the school.  His mom decided it was time to call the doctor no matter the expense.  Hubby's sore throat was in fact strep throat that had turned into rheumatic fever.   The doctor came to the house for around three weeks to treat Hubby.   There was no heart or other damage from the condition.  Life #2

Hubby joined the Army the year he graduated high school.  Part of the training was crawling through the 'combat zone' with live bullets flying over head.  It was frightening.  One of the other trainees could not remain on the ground.  He stood up and was killed.  Hubby finished the course on his belly.  Life #3.

Coming home from work one night we turned onto an overpass.  There was a thin sheet of black ice on the road.  Hubby was driving.  An approaching auto came on the bridge and lost control.  It went into a fishtailing skid.  He stopped and the approaching auto swerved back about 4 feet from the front of our car.  Pretty sure that was #4 for him.  Not sure about what number it was for me or the other driver.

Celebrating his life following the clot, 2007.

Number 5 was the blood clot in 2007.  If you want to read about it click here.  Number 6 came in 2012.  Another blood clot following knee replacement.  Number 7 was when Hubby took a tumble on his bike.  A helmet protected his head but the left knee took the impact.  Due to blood thinners to avoid clots a huge hematoma formed in the leg.  The leg was already showing signs of necrosis by the time the emergency surgery were performed just hours after the fall.  Maybe that is only 6.5.

No matter how many lives Hubby has used we still celebrated his 80th for several days!  Here he is with his cake shaped like his favorite hobby, an amateur radio.  That is our DIL and our son's arm.  Why did I not get a photo of the whole bunch!  Because we were so amazed by that cake.

Yes, more stuff has happened since this and this may be why I just was not prepared to write.  Older Sister #1 continued to not improve after having a stent placed in her heart.  Around the 13th of October she became so ill with fever, chills and bowel issues she was sent to the ER.  Initially showing severe anemia to the point she was admitted to be given transfusions.  Doctors followed with testing from literally head to almost her toes.  Colon cancer was the result.  October 19 she was in surgery for 7 hours.  7 specialists in succession worked on the urethra, removing the uterus, removing a portion of the colon, lymph nodes.  Today the pathology came back to show no cancer present in any points beyond the colon and other treated areas.  Today, October 24, she was released to go home.  Pretty darn good for an 84 year old.  Guess Hubby is not the only one in the family with several lives!

Y'all all take care and stay safe out there!  I owe some photos of the sister time back in August.  I hope to get that done at some point.

Peace,

Janice