how does a cast feel?

At the risk of boring you with yet another family picture I have one more to share with you. The picture above was taken at my parents silver wedding anniversary. I had gained one sister by marriage. My oldest brother Ken had married Mary the previous summer. My mom made matching pink dresses for herself and I.
I've always been a curious girl. I'm curious about people who aren't. What is it that they think about? Sometimes while in a conversation I'll notice that I'm more curious than others, why is that? Curious people constantly have to work at not appearing nosey. I like to think of it as being interested in others. The year I was in grade two was a bit tough. I came home from school one day and my mom was sitting at the sewing machine appearing quite upset. She told me that my dad had an accident at work and was in the hospital. He had broken his back. He had started to fall off the back of a dump truck only to catch his leg and thereby snapping his spine. After what seemed like a long time he finally came home from the hospital in a cast. I sure was curious about that cast. I would often ask him what it would feel like, and he assured me I wouldn't want to know. My brother Gerry (if you're curious he is the one at the far right beside my dad) is four years older than I. He spent a great deal of time perfecting the tree house in the old willow tree in the back yard. Occasionally I would stand beneath the tree asking if I could come up. I couldn't because the trunk was massive and only a big boy could straddle the first part of the tree to get to the big branches. One afternoon, I happened to come outside when Gerry called me over to come have a look at his newly constructed foot holds. "Come on Up" he said. With delight I began to take one foot at a time. I was nearly at the big Y in the tree when one of the the foot holds which had one nail in the center gave way and down I went. It was immediately apparent by the shape of my arm that things were amiss. Gerry went flying down the tree and yelling to the house "Vellie broke her arm" at which my mom who was quite accustomed to his bend for exaggerating said "no she didn't" until she saw me and from a distance had to digress. After a night in the hospital I sat along side my dad at home comparing the difficulties of being confined to a cast.


A few weeks later my parents were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and it would have been unheard of not to have a family portrait done before the big church celebration (at which I had to recite a poem). My mom opened up the back of my Dad's suit pants and put in a strip of fabric so that his cast could be accommodated. The morning before the big event I stepped on a nail behind the barn, and my foot was swollen beyond the capabilities of my new white shoes and so I had to wear my brother Gerry's old black dress shoes with my lovely pink lace dress. Oh, if your curious, my sister-in-law Mary did my hair. My dad looks a little shell shocked don't you think? I love the way I'm hiding my broken arm, it kind of reminds me of Bea hiding her broken arm last year when we went to Maui as a family but that is another story for another time, (if you are at all curious that is)

Comments

  1. Good story, Lovella. I am a curious person too. I think that's why I like reading other people's blogs so much and why I seem to know so many people when most often they have no idea who I am. It's because I like to know what's going on. I always say it's the 'Mennonite' in me, which well, I'm actually not but growing up in Steinbach counts for something!!

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  2. oh so true Jennie. Terry and I went to our 20th school reunion and nobody knew us, what's with that? I knew everyone. You got to watch out for that Mennonite thing . . it rubs off in the most interesting ways.

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  3. What a funny story. Your mom probably thought raising boys was tough until she had you getting all banged up. Amazing that your dad healed so well. (Curious Presbyterian upbringing kicking in...)Do you still have the pink matching mother/daughter dress? Did you have to go get a shot because of the nail just before your mom and dad's big day? Who cut your bangs that time? You sure were a cutie!

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  4. Jill, it was a miracle that my dad healed so well. What I didn't mention (should have) is that he walked into the hospital on his own and the doctors were amazed he didn't do further damage. I do still have the mother daughter dresses. I tried on my mom's not that long ago and it fit me perfectly. The little one will be saved for a future grandma . . grandaugther picture for my amusement. About the nail, you know its amazing that us farmers never got sick, no shot for me, I was tough. We didn't run to the doctor for every little thing back then. One time I stepped on a rusty can when I was hunting for frogs, sliced up my foot (still have the scar) and begged my mom to not make me go to the doctor. Crazy. The bangs? That would have been my mom's handiwork. They were rarely straight. My sister-in-law probably had to do some fancy curling on them.

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  5. I really love the black and white photos. They look absolutely beautiful!

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  6. Memories are wonderful gifts, aren't they?
    I guess I have to admit to my curious genes too. Never thought of them being Mennonite but maybe they are!!!
    Your photos and stories are wonderful, Lovella !

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  7. Haha that is so funny Lovella that you and your Dad were wearing a cast at the same time!!! I love it! (That's so great that your Dad survived his broken back too.)

    And you can't tell that all happened to you both, in that family portrait. Haha very neat. (Now everytime I look at a picture I'm going to wonder what happened just before the shooting?)

    I am a curious one too.

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  8. You already know by now, (and we hardly know each other!), that I am also curious! I would have never even noticed the cast had you not mentioned it! Very clever of you! Don't you just love old family portraits?

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  9. Lovella, that's such a sweet family photo. You look alot like stuart when you were younger.

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  10. And now we know...you snuck that one in really well..I've never had a cast on and never hope to!!!

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  11. Beuatiful, Lovella! I have only now had a chance to catch up on my readings, and I still it your site first! The family picture, hmm, that Delmonte Studio must have photographed everyone around here. My parents' wedding picture was taken there, then there was our extended family pictures there, and I was even in a wedding picture as a bridesmaid there. Same background!

    The whole cast thing is really only something you could have pulled off! What father/daughter bonding time the two of you must have had! You have some great memories!

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