I am done with winter!

It has been a long, cold and snowy winter and I am happy to see the first signs of spring.

I am pleased to see the emerging doggy do's from melting snow, frozen for the last 3 months.

The mud caked dogs happy to sniff out the raccoons in the bush.

Picking up the litter from the trees , thrown about by wind and freezing rain.

Treating the blisters on your hands from raking the yard for days in the sun.

But best of all to smell the soil again, the first spring flower, the robins out and about, swans in the back flooded field resting a night or 2 to fly on again to the Artic.

The Canada geese honking overhead and the killdeer flying low over the field.

The constant twitter of the house sparrow looking for a mate...........It's Spring.

Hip Hip Hurrah..............I am ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It only takes a second

We hope and pray for a full recovery again!

Farming is dangerous, even the smallest mistake will have its repercussions, especially working with rotating equipment.
Safety of your own person and those around you is a must.

We had a major snowstorm starting on the 7th and lasted till the 9th. of March
Mountains of snow had formed on the road and yard and a major clean up was on the way Sunday the 9th.

A breakdown on the snowblower and PTO of the tractor got Chris's leather mitt caught on the turning PTO and took thankfully
only his right thumb off ( just hanging by some skin)....I do say thankfully because he had the quick reflex to get his hand out of the mitt, otherwise one can only imagine.......

This was at 5.30 PM in the evening....arrived at the Brantford Emergency at 5.45 pm.
They cut his heavy coveralls and jackets and gave him a warm blanket and hospital gown, stabilized and on morphine drip, the thumb was repositioned and we took off again to the plastic surgery team that was called in at Hamilton St Joe's to reattach his thumb.

(To save precious time I took him in the car , with the snow storm comes shovelling snow and the heart attacks..... the ambulances were to stay in Brantford.)

The plastic surgical team was ready and by 12.00 pm Chris was in surgery and 6 1/2 hr. later his thumb was stitched back to his hand and with some creative work they had bloodvessels and nerve connected up again.The main joint ligaments were not severed and Dr. was pleased about that. To make the joint stable they inserted 2 pins which will be removed in 4 weeks.
The next 6 days were spend in hospital making sure no complications arose.

When Chris was readied for surgery it was time for me to go home. The cell phone kept Ab up to speed with it all and at 11.30 left for Harley........

April 2-08 Chris is doing well and has a removable splint to protect his hand. Last week he had his check up with his surgeon and he was pleased with the wound healing. His feeling is good on the right side of his thumb but need to establish itself through time again on the left side (palm side).A nurse comes by the farm to change his dressings and next week he will start therapy at the hand clinic in Hamilton.
Chris is adapting being a lefty and is managing the finishing of the new barn by phone.
April 21 has been set to get the cows over and all crews are working towards that.

We have only praise for the emergency nurses, doctors, X ray technicians and volunteers in Brantford General Hospital for their speedy intake and stabilizing Chris. Dr.Quigley organized a plastics team together on Sunday evening and the long hours in the night the team worked at St. Joe's shows the commitment and professionalism of all to make Chris' thumb a functioning part of his hand again.

We left Chris with one thought ...... How many people are feeling and dealing with the impact of his injury.......many!

The pictures, Chris' thumb, are not for the faint of heart!