Friday, November 9 to Sunday, November 18

This is who was staying at our house last week. Jared, Ian, and Jesse were here while their parents were on a business trip to Texas (November 9-16). Diane stayed after Mother Hershey’s funeral (October 27) to help with Josiah’s care when he came here from the hospital and rehab.

You can’t imagine how much I appreciated Diane’s help in caring for Josiah’s leg during the first seventeen days that he was recovering in our house.

She stayed in the guest room, borrowed Abby’s sewing machine and made two jumpers during the three weeks she was here.

Jesse was the first of Jere and Kristen’s boys to arrive on Friday, November 9, while Ian and Jared participated in school activities – Ian in the band competition and Jared in wrestling.

We set them up in the room behind the garage. Jesse enjoyed doing a final sweeping after moving in his supplies.

One of his jobs was helping me and Diane with labeling post cards for a mailing for TFC’s International Office.

These cards are announcing “Giving Tuesday” on November 27. https://www.transportforchrist.org/donate/

We set up “shop” in the living room so we could watch a Hallmark movie and make the labeling of 2,400 post cards seem more like fun than work.

Josiah loves any occasion to play Qwirkle or cards. This was the scene one evening after supper. You can see the boys bedroom (air mattresses) in the back room of the garage.

One evening Diane asked Jesse if he would like to help her dress Josiah’s leg. He was pleased to help. Maybe he has a future in the medical field.

This is something we must do every other day. It helps the skin to grow (from the skin graft) if it is uncovered every 48 hours and left uncovered for several hours. Then we cover it with the yellow gauze that is treated with medication.

Next it is covered with white gauze pads.

Then Jesse became a leg prop as Diane wrapped the stretchable wrapping. I didn’t photograph the final wrap which is a stabilizer for his leg.

Then he was ready to race cars in Josiah’s room – our former man cave.

Josiah and Diane playing Qwirkle in our kitchen. We appreciate this small table that was loaned to us by John and Judy Myer. It works nicely with Josiah’s wheel chair. (Notice his leg wrapped in the stabilizer in this picture.)

We are adjusting to life without Ian, Jared and Jesse in our house (they went home on the 16th). Diane went home yesterday morning (18th) driving the entire 500 miles by herself in a small flatbed truck which she delivered to a friend in Maine – who bought it from a dealer not far from our house (Pine Tree Motors).

Josiah and I were pleased to survive our first day of uncovering and dressing his leg by ourselves. 🙂