The Christmas season is always an exciting time up here, thanks in no small measure to the Christmas games which are held every night (well not Sundays – don’t play on the Sabbeth!). But I’ve hardly been to the games this year, so far I’ve only been on Christmas day. One or the other of the kids has been fighting bugs and fevers so I get to stay home with which ever one is sick.
Last night was the annual talent show, and for the past two nights it has been Hilary’s turn at the fever thing, so I missed it this year. Hilary and I were having a great nap at home and had just woken up when the phone rang, and I was greeted with one of those lines that you dread hearing… "I’m at the Nursing Station, Travis has a bad cut." So as soon Leah’s brother arrived to watch Hilary I sped to the Health Centre. Well, I sped as fast as looking out through the little clear space at the bottom of my windshield would allow. (Hey I’m from the prairies, its my god given right to drive with a frosted over windshield bent into a strange contortion looking through the feebly defrosted area of the windshield).
Travis, who was a little scared but none the worse for wear, had got his hand caught in a door (a broken door I hasten to add) and once it had been forced open it was found he was cut across three of his fingers on his right hand. His middle finger was the worse, however the X-ray showed nothing was broken. When the nurse, after calling in some help, was finally able to deal with Travis’ hand (a small child was quite sick and being prepped for a medivac flight out – all in all my night of worries paled in comparison) she decided he needed some stitches.
So Travis ended up with three stitches across his tiny finger (three more than dad ever got in his life). Let me tell you, I’ve seen a lot of people get stitched up in my day, most of whom were heavily self-medicated, and I’ve never seen anyone deal with it as stoically as my little man. Sure the needle hurt, but after that he was darn interested in someone taking a needle and "string" to his finger.
So by the time we were ready to leave it was almost 2 am. Someone tracked me down at the Nursing Station and gave me a great Hoodie (does anyone else call these things bunny hugs? How about Kangaroo Jackets?) as it was also volunteer appreciation night. Wait? I volunteer? Apparently it was in appreciation for waking the family in the fire this summer. Thank you Arctic Bay that was very nice of you, and unexpected.
But back home my daughter was still unprepared for sleep, so finally at 6:00am we got her to bed. An hour and a quarter later and she has woken me up crying, hacking and coughing and covered in blood from a nose bleed. After getting her back to sleep, this time in our bed I laid there and listened to her wheeze for awhile and after she threw up the phlegm that was bothering her, decided that sleep would come another day for me. Anyone for coffee? It’s a nice organic Ethiopian Yerge Cheffe?
Comments
10 responses
I’d join you for coffee if I could! Wow, what a night? I thought that being unable to sleep after 5am (due to snoring from a certain unnamed husband) was bad but clearly I was whining for no good reason! Happy New Year!
What a Night! Hope everyone feels better soon! I was at the talent show when Travis got his fingers caught. Many leapt to action running out into the lobby, while the rest of us waited patiently to get word on what had happened. Once someone called to see if there was a Nurse in the gym, we all knew what had happened and there was a collective grasping of fingers in the gym, all of us feeling the pain. Here’s hoping for no more cold/flu’s and unexpected calls from the Nursing station for you.
Crikey! Here’s hoping life relaxes a bit for you and the family. And congratulations to Travis for dealing with the stitching so well.
I wasn’t so lucky when I was very small — I got the tip of a finger caught in a car door when it slammed and I ended up losing it (the fingertip, that is, although I suspect I “lost it” a bit as well. It was a long time ago, and my recollection’s vague; the end of my finger’s still gone, though).
Yes, I’d love to sit down with you and yarn over a coffee. A bit far, though, but maybe one day… Happy New Year to you and the family, Clare.
Ah Clare,
I have had a few of those nights myself. Generally around here it is the croup routine with my oldest (soon to be 5).
I have been doing the prairie thing myself lately with heavy frosts we have been having. No snow on the MT prairie yet- or southern SK accordining to my friend in Val Marie.
I thought about you the the other night. We also had a house fire near us in the middle of the night. Thankfully no one was hurt but the house is pretty much gutted. The homemade smoker went up, caught the garage, and then spread to the house.
Glad you like the snow petrel photos. I have more to come about the trip and one part has a direct link to you.
Hope all is well with you and Happy New Year.
Oh yeah, I remembered one more thing I was going to tell you about. I remember a program a while back on CBC about the origin of the word bunny hug to describe a hooded sweatshirt. If I remember right it was a SK word that has spread to other areas of Canada. Here is link to the person who was doing the linguistic research:
http://www.geocities.com/tylercottenie/bunny_hug.htm
Yikes! Glad your little man is okay. And so brave!
Friends of ours from Saskatchewan call it a “bunny hug”.
Happy New Year to you too Liza Lee. Coffee’s still on.
Thanks Kennie, It was my turn at the bug last night.
Happy New Years Pete. You know I’m looking forward to that coffee someday. Lamb shanks for supper last night. I have vague memories of catching my hand in the car door when I was small, but I checked with my family and none of us can remember who it was. No lost finger tip though. Ow.
Happy New Year John. I was envious of your trip to Elephant Island. One of those places that also looms large in my imagination. Bunnyhug does seem to have originated in Saskatchewan, and Kangaroo Jacket may have been a local term from Manitoba, which explains why they are both part of my vocabulary.
Yes he’s a brave little man, some times, Ian and Jennifer.
Clare, your stories of the kids being sick brings back fond memories, thank god penny took care of them, I only had to clean up the messes. I don’t know where the heck the rest of you are from, but in winnipeg its a hoodie or hooded sweater.
Kangaroo jacket always in Roblin! Remember the green MARK ’69 ones?
Unfortunately, I knew it would only be a matter of time before those blasted doors hurt someone. Glad to hear Travis made out okay. I’ve heard through the grapevine at work that those stupid doors are supposed to be fixed “in the near future” (whatever that means). But I’ve been hearing that for a couple months now. I’m not really sure how they plan to fix it though. Apparently CG&S was supposed to send up a pile of supplies on August’s sealift to fix all that needed fixing but they missed the sailing deadline. Good grief!