Life as a family on the farm

We now on the farm with our small family. Max parents moved into their home in town. Only their daughter Eileen was at home, so the 3 of them had a smaller comfortable house to care for with a nice garden at the back & a place for flower beds at the front. Grandma Gompf was a great gardener & loved her vegetable & flower gardens, each year she would show her produce at the country Fair at Oak Lake in mid July. Eileen was a great help for their retirement. She had health problems so wasn't able to live on her own.

I believe Max's parents had a farm sale the fall before they moved to town. Max bid on the machinery he would need to farm. That winter wasn't a hard one for us. We lived just in the downstairs of that big house. Gail started to crawl by sitting with one foot under her, using the other one to propel herself forward with the other. Both of the children played generally in the kitchen as it was warmer near the kitchen coal fired cook stove. Both of our 2 children didn't walk until they were over a year old. When Gail started to walk she appeared to have a limp. That spring we took her to Dr Purdie for a check up. I asked him if she was walking as if she was favoring the leg she used as she slide on her seat to get around. He held her dress up to watch how she walked. He noticed that hip wasn't right. He told us she needed to see a specialist in Winnipeg. This was quit a shock to us. We had just started to farm so had a mortgage thus money was scarce. We did have some laying hens & sold the eggs. We got income from the sale of cream, as Max milked two cows twice a day. The cream was sent by train to the Brandon creamery, a cream truck picked our cream up at the farm in the summer months.

We didn't know how we could handle this unexpected expense. The pastor & church people
sent up lots of prayer for Gail, and God made away for us. Our Dr 's son was a member of Kinsmen club in Souris Manitoba a town south of us. He presented our need to this club. They paid for the specialist while we paid for our trips to Winnipeg. Max had relatives living in the city & I knew Pastor Les Pritchard formerly of Pangman Sask. These friends were used of God to give us the help we so badly needed at the right time. I traveled by the train to Winnipeg with Gail & these caring relatives picked us up, took us to the specialist & had us stay with them.
It was still quit a shock to hear Gail was born with her left hip out of joint, and would have to remain in hospital, while her leg would be put in traction to lengthen it. She would be tied down in bed with a weight in traction by a pulley connected to that ankle. It would take several months so her hip could be set into the socket. The Dr would then put her into a heavy plaster
caste. This was a body caste from under her arms, with her legs spread apart. It also went to the knee on the good leg then to the ankle of the other leg. I was to leave her there to go back home. This was the hardest thing I ever had to do. But God did provide many praying friends & relatives, for our support. Rev Les Pritchard would visit her. Prayer support was a strength for both of us, also a life line from God during these trying times. Les Pritchard kept in touch with us about her progress, and other friends in the city did the same. We were informed when her Dr had placed her in this caste. Max took me to his sister Louise & Gilbert farm north of Brandon. Cecil, Gilbert son of his first wife was visiting them so was to drive me to Winnipeg to bring our daughter home. We left early to pick Gail up then after seeing the specialist we left to drive back home before evening. Max was so pleased to have us all home together once again. Dr would want to see her again in a little over a month. He informed me I must keep her caste dry & clean. As Gail was in hospital for several months, Meal time was hard that first night, so she screamed to be free of this caste that held her tightly. I had to take her in a separate room to give her food the first few days. I would play aeroplanes with each spoonful. She also must have felt strange to be with her family after so long in the hospital. I taped her caste with water proof tape. We purchased our first vacum cleaner so I put the hose into where the air came out to blow the air around the moisten area thus drying it. When we took her in for her next check up the caste had soften some. Her Dr was lame with a bad limp, he was born with his hip out before they started checking all baby's at birth with this problem. He was upset with the dampness of the caste, I asked "how can I keep it dry," as he walked away he said "don't you know water can't run uphill? raise the head of her crib." That did help. This was a long cold winter so we didn't get out much but we enjoyed to get out together again that spring. Gary was pleased to have a play mate again. In the spring I did take Gail out when we went to a farm meeting so met with many of our neighbors. Many had visited with us by phone but it was so good to visit with them face to face.



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