Earlier happenings before the last blog

 There are some things I have remembered which happened while Oupa was still living which I remember with pleasure. When Paul got too big for his cot I decided to make him a bed myself, to save money. I bought the requirements in wood planks, and 3cm wide canvas strapping to weave across the opening at the top so there would be a secure base for his little mattress. I was working happily on it when my Dad walked in and asked, "What are you trying to do?" "Make Paul a bed." He laughed and said, "Looks more like a dog with his leg cocked." I got tickled and he said, "Here, let me take it to the garage and do it for you." I was very happy to let him because he was an expert cabinet maker — self taught — and I knew it would be very well made. Paul used it until he outgrew it, by which time Steve had appeared on the scene — more about that later.

Another event I recall with very little pleasure, but it was Dad to the rescue again. Mel had already gone to work when I felt an urgent call to the lavatory to wee. But no matter how hard I tried to release it, it just wouldn't come. The agony kept growing and I got on the couch, with my behind in the air and just groaned with the relentless pain. Dad walked in and saw me, and immediately knew I was in bad trouble. "I'm taking you straight to the hospital, wait here and I'll get the car."  He called Mel to tell him and off we went. When got to the emergency section they immediately called Dr. McNair who ordered to have me immediately admitted to the women's ward upstairs. He called the ward  and told them to get a specimen at once. He also ordered an extremely strong pain-killer. The nurse helped me to the toilet, but without any success. I suggested she turn on as many faucets as she could — sometimes that helps. But, nothing!! We got the  giggles, so there I was laughing and crying at same time. She called the doc and he ordered them to insert a catheter. Oh! the relief!! They siphoned out enough urine to have burst my bladder — thank the Lord, I had one that was able to withstand the pressure or I may  not have survived.

The nurses were "Kindness" personified. This happened a couple of days before Christmas and during the night a woman was brought in screaming and vomiting and thinking she was dying. The doctor who attended her was very harsh with her, and showed very little sympathy and I was bewildered at his AND the nurses' conduct. Later I asked the nurse why they were so unkind to her and so very kind to me and she said, "There was nothing wrong with her except overindulgence in liqor, but you, you were a very sick girl." I especially recall the one nurse. She was Indian and she came quietly to my bed, before they had inserted the catheter, and just held my arm very gently in her soft hands. It calmed me down considerably. It seems that I had picked up a rare germ which was only detected in the lab when they looked for the reason. I spent Xmas in hospital, but the relief from the pain was worth it.

Another thing that happened during the period when my parents were still living next door was a black baby being born on their garage floor. A black woman came to the house very pregnant to ask me mom to call for an ambulance. Mom had had quite a bit of experience at midwifery as she had helped deliver several natives on the mission where they were working at one time. She saw at once that the woman was actually in labor so she quickly lay many layers of newspaper on the garage floor. Debbie was little and she was there at the time while I was teaching. She told her to stay in the house. Well as time went on and the birthing process began, Deb's curiosity got the better of her and she climbed up a few of the stairs which were situated inside beside the back door. That way she could reach the handle, so she went out to see what all the fuss was about and watched just as the afterbirth came away, and Ma heard a little voice say, "Is that lady going to take that meat home to cook?" Ma was horrified and when I came to get Deb she apologized profusely that Deb had seen what she did. I assured her that it was Okay, and the least said the soonest forgotten.