BLOODY DAYS

Be Careful Little Hands What You Do

After the two rooms were moved from the east end of Grandpa's house, to become feed and grain bins, for the new milk barn, there was still a lot of work to be done.  The west and south walls must go up and a new roof be put on.  Daddy and Lawton were doing the work.

Edwin and I were playing in the cow lot just to the south of the barn wall, maybe 10 feet out.  Daddy and Lawton were nailing up the rafters, etc.  We had gathered several little wood blocks together and were building something as well.  I'm not sure, if we had a blue-print, probably working from the imagination of our minds.  Edwin stood by to be helpful and I gathered up a little block about 2 x 4 inches and maybe 2 inches deep.  I think I set it on another block.  Then with clear knowledge of what to do next, I held the designated block with the fore finger and thumb of my left hand.  I don't remember if there was a second planned procedure, but the first was to take up the hatchet with my right hand and chop the 2 x 4 block in two.  OOPS!!!  Scream Bloody Murder!  

I had cut my left index finger through to the bone.  Both the Daddy's fell like fireballs off that roof.  They rapped rag bandages around it, or maybe it was band-aids.  The blood stopped, the finger healed, the scar stayed with me at least 60 years, or more.  It's barely visible now.

Later, in a few days, the time came to begin roofing the barn with corrugated iron roofing.  One day while they were working, the wind whipped a sheet and cut Lawton on the bridge of his nose.  I don't remember how deep the cut went or if they went to the doctor.  It seems to me that it was not deep and they put on a bandage.

In a year or two, Lawton and Nina moved from the little red house to the Drew Place near Eldorado.  That's where Byrl and Betty have lived for several years.  Nina's Grandma had died and they moved her house to that farm.  So that was their new home for several years.  Everything had to be made new.  I don't know, maybe there was already a barn and the well with a windmill.

Daddy and Lawton built a new chicken house a bit east and to the north of their yard.  It was getting along toward finish.  One day while sawing lumber on the table saw,  just outside the building,  Lawton cut his thumb off.  It was left hanging by a flap of skin. With his other hand, he put it back in place and held it tight.  Daddy drove and they went to Dr. Crow in Olustee.  He was the closest doctor.  It all grew back ok, but got really cold in winter time.