We had a busy day today. As I mentioned in my previous post, we contacted ביטוח לאומי Bituach L'umi (Israel's equivalent of U.S. Social Security) to get some necessary documents.
After that, we called our friend, Golan, about a couple of baby snakes that we have who have been refusing to eat. Then we took them over to him to see if he can get them to eat.
Today, we had the first real rain that we've had since Spring. It first started after quite a bit of thundering while we were in town. Then it let up for a while, but, just as we were driving out the driveway to take the baby snakes to Golan, it began raining again in earnest. All the way down the hill, it continued to rain quite hard. But by the time we got to Meron (about 5 or 6 miles away), it began to let up, and after Gush Khalav it quit entirely. Even though I really don't like rain, I'm glad to see this because we really need the water. Israel is approaching a pretty serious water crisis, the Kinneret is getting dangerously low, and we really need to get a lot of precipitation this year, including snow on the Golan and, especially, Har Khermon.
After leaving Golan's place (at Kibbutz Metsuba, near Shlomi and not far from Nahariya), we drove over to Nahariya and ate at Greg's. David had fettucini and I had yam ravioli, both of them with Alfredo sauce. It was delicious!
A friend of ours from synagogue, Rose, who is in her mid-80s, is in the hospital because she fell and broke her pelvis. So, while we were in the area, we went to the hospital to visit her. She was glad to see us, and we were very happy to see how well she is doing. She is insisting on getting physical therapy and is determined to get back to walking again. We had a delightful conversation with her and were very pleased with her positive and sparkling attitude.
After leaving there, we drove to Karmiel to check on the cost of renting musical instruments from a store there. Basically, the answer is that it's really too expensive, but it's good to know, anyway.
Finally, we drove home, staying in the car for a few minutes after backing it into the driveway to watch the lightning to the north of us. Here at home, though, it was clear, and we could see stars. More rain is expected over the next 2 or 3 days, though, accompanied by thunder storms and high winds.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
ביטוח לאומי Bituach L'umi ("National Insurance")
A couple of stories today about ביטוח לאומי Bituach L'umi ("National Insurance"). First of all, this is basically Israel's equivalent to Social Security in the States. Anyway, we should be able to get a discount from the city on our ארנונה arnona (something like property tax, except that it's a tax on residents which renters pay rather than the owner of the property, unless the owner lives there) because David is on נכות n'chut (disability). However, we need documents from ביטוח לאומי Bituach L'umi certifying that David really is on disability and also that he does not work.
Molly, the sister of our קבלן kablan (building contractor) who works in his office and who had gone with us to the city office previously to help us, had listed the things that we needed, so we called her to help us with ביטוח לאומי Bituach L'umi. However, when we got to the local office, we found that there was a שביתה shvita (strike), and the office was closed. I don't know if it was only the local office or more widespread. At any rate, this seemed a little odd to me. I think that, in the States, if workers in a major government office went on strike, the dispute would have been in the news for weeks in advance and it would have been quite controversial. But here, I had read nothing about it. Did someone have a dispute with their boss about coffee breaks???
I just figured that we'd have to try another day, but Molly, being Israeli, was more persistent. She called them for us on the phone, and, in the end, was able to get them to mail us the necessary documents! She put it on the speaker phone and, of course, they had music while we were waiting for a human to answer. But here was the other interesting thing: they had a song specially composed and sung for THEM! The words were ביטוח לאומי הביטחון שלי Bituach L'umi ha-bitachon sheli ("National Insurance in my security"). In Hebrew, though, it's a bit more catchy, since the root for the word ביטוח bituach (insurance) is the same as for the word ביטחון bitachon (security). Anyway, can you imagine calling Social Security and getting a song about them, especially such a self-congratulatory one! Amazing!
Molly, the sister of our קבלן kablan (building contractor) who works in his office and who had gone with us to the city office previously to help us, had listed the things that we needed, so we called her to help us with ביטוח לאומי Bituach L'umi. However, when we got to the local office, we found that there was a שביתה shvita (strike), and the office was closed. I don't know if it was only the local office or more widespread. At any rate, this seemed a little odd to me. I think that, in the States, if workers in a major government office went on strike, the dispute would have been in the news for weeks in advance and it would have been quite controversial. But here, I had read nothing about it. Did someone have a dispute with their boss about coffee breaks???
I just figured that we'd have to try another day, but Molly, being Israeli, was more persistent. She called them for us on the phone, and, in the end, was able to get them to mail us the necessary documents! She put it on the speaker phone and, of course, they had music while we were waiting for a human to answer. But here was the other interesting thing: they had a song specially composed and sung for THEM! The words were ביטוח לאומי הביטחון שלי Bituach L'umi ha-bitachon sheli ("National Insurance in my security"). In Hebrew, though, it's a bit more catchy, since the root for the word ביטוח bituach (insurance) is the same as for the word ביטחון bitachon (security). Anyway, can you imagine calling Social Security and getting a song about them, especially such a self-congratulatory one! Amazing!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Meeting a חלוץ khalutz (pioneer)
Last evening, before the beginning of the service, T'khia, the president of the congregation, came up to us and asked us if we could take a man home afterwards who needed a ride, since he lives near Cynthia, whom we were already taking home. Of course we agreed, and she introduced us to him. His name is Meir. We had seen him many times at services, and he usually reads the תפילה לשלום tfilah l'shalom (prayer for peace) which comes after the עמידה amidah (central prayer of the service, during which we stand -- it actually means "standing"). We had not met Meir before, however. It turns out that he doesn't speak English. However, between my Hebrew and Cynthia's and David's Yiddish, we were able to communicate with him. We learned that he made aliyah (moved here) from Germany in 1938! He used to live at Kibbutz Metzuba, where our friend Golan has his snakes. We must be sure to talk to Meir more, since he is a true חלוץ khalutz (pioneer), having immigrated 10 years before the founding of the State and having lived here now for 70 years!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tiyul to the Hills of Gilboa
Today is Hoshanah Rabah/Shmini Atzeret/Simchat Torah (3 holidays all in one, and it also marks the end of Succot!). After a nice meal with our neighbors, Mordechi and Avigail, in their sukkah, we decided to hop into the car and drive once more to the Hills of Gilboa, which are located right next to Shomron (the northern part of the misnamed "West Bank"). I have been there twice before and David once, but it was too hot those times for hiking. Today, we had perfect hiking weather -- not too hot, with a nice cool breeze.
First, we hiked a 300-meter loop (about a tenth of a mile) called האירוסים Ha-Irusim ("The Irises"). We must be sure to return there in late March or early April, when there will be many flowers, including irises, blooming.
After that, we drove a very short distance further along the road and parked in the parking lot for הר ברקן Har Barkan ("Mount Barqan"). On the top, a short walk from the parking lot, is a look-out tower which is primarily for use by the foresters. But it was open, so I walked up the 65 steps and took several pictures from the top. Actually, the view from the ground is pretty good, too, but I'm an acromaniac, so a tower (or just about any other high place) is nearly irresistible for me! :-) David, on the other hand, waited patiently for me at the bottom of the tower.
Anyway, I'm including a couple of pictures here that I took from up there. The first is the view across to the next ridge, where you can see a Muslim village (with at least 2 minarets), which I'm sure is the other side of the "Green Line" (the 1949 armistice line that, at that time, separated Israel from Jordan). In the valley, you can see something that looks like a road but is almost certainly the barrier, a temporary fence/wall built to prevent terrorists from infiltrating and killing random civilians.
The second picture is also taken from the tower. In it, you can see Beit She'an (a modern Israeli city) in the Jordan River Valley. On the horizon are hills on the other side of the Jordan River, which are in Jordan. By the way, there is a very interesting national park in Beit She'an where a significant part of an ancient Roman city (one of the 10 making up the "Decapolis") has been unearthed, including a large amphitheater and two bathhouses. On the nearby tel, there are also ruins from a much earlier time: an Egyptian outpost from Canaanite times!
One more note: today was a somewhat clear day, but on a really very clear day it would probably be possible to see Tsfat from Har Barkan!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Outdoor cats
As I think I've mentioned before, we've been adopted by 4 outdoor cats. Every morning, we feed them on the front porch near our front door. We've named them Beatrix, MiniMe (Beatrix's growing kitten who looks almost identical to her), Blackie, and Ts'hovi (from the Hebrew word צהוב tsahov, which means "yellow" -- of course, he's a yellow cat!). A few days ago, we went out for a walk, taking the camera with us. Three of the four (all except Ts'hovi) came out to great us, as we left and when we returned. I got some very cute pictures of Blackie and MiniMe. I've inserted 4 of them here: Blackie, MiniMe, Blackie and MiniMe together near our front door, and David and Blackie (she's sitting on the wall and David is standing on the sidewalk right in from of our house, next to the driveway).
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
A post from my grandfather
This post will be different from the others. This is a piece written more than half a century ago by my grandfather (my mother's father), Claude E. Eldridge. But, first a little background. A very important part of my family's history is something that we generally refer to as "The Accident". This is Grandpa's account of this seminal event, written only months after it happened. Actually, I don't know precisely when, because it includes no date, but I can tell from the content that it couldn't have been much more time than that afterwards. My grandfather was a retired minister of the Seventh-day Adventist church, so some of his religious ideas were different from mine, of course. Nevertheless, I think you'll find this quite a moving story. I typed the entire piece in exactly as I found it (typed, perhaps by someone else for grandpa) except for 2 or 3 very minor spelling and punctuation corrections. In a few places, I have added some comments of my own, always enclosed in square brackets, like this: [ ]. These are only to fill in additional background information, such as how the people were related to me; what happened to some of them in later years; and some of my own connections to some of the places, people, institutions mentioned. So, here it is:
Early in April, Lois Ruth [my mother], who was training as a nurse in Loma Linda (Calif.) Sanitarium [where I was later born], was taken very sick [with her second bout of tuberculosis], and was confined to her bed about three weeks. Our older daughter, Florence (Mrs. Lloyd R. Wilkins), lived about 15 miles distant, in Arlington, Calif., close to La Sierra College [my undergraduate alma mater, which, when I attended was known as the La Sierra Campus of Loma Linda University but is now known as La Sierra University], where she was teaching some forenoon classes in Physiology. On the afternoon shift she worked in the Loma Linda Sanitarium, where she had recently been appointed head nurse over a department.
Because Lloyd had a new Kaiser car, Florence planned to bring Lois Ruth (about 350 miles) to Phoenix as soon as she became able to be moved. Friday, April 28 [1950], about 8 a.m., they started, and we were expecting them to arrive here about 4 p.m. But they never arrived.
Around 5:30 p.m. our phone rang, and the operator said, "Indio is calling Claude Eldridge." Instantly I sensed trouble, knowing that Indio was en route.
"Hello, Dad," came Lloyd's voice. "Get seated. There's been an accident." I was prepared for that, but not for what followed.
"Lois Ruth is all right," said Lloyd. "Her legs are injured, but they'll be all right in a few months." That was very bad news, but I never dreamed of what was coming.
"There were four in the car," said Lloyd. "Flossie [Florence's nickname], Lois Ruth, Mrs. Keyes, and Mrs. Wareham [my father's first wife, Mary]. Lois Ruth and Mrs. Keyes are here in the hospital in Indio. I am speaking from the hospital."
"Where are the others?" I asked.
"In the mortuary," he replied. For a split second I didn't grasp it. Then it struck me like a shot.
"In the MORTUARY?!" I almost screamed.
"Yes," replied Lloyd, "They're dead -- Flossie is dead!" Then I DID scream.
"Shall we have the services in Arlington or Loma Linda?" asked Lloyd. "What do you think?"
"I can't think," I managed to gasp.
"Well, call me again in an hour here at the Indio hospital after you have had time to think things over," he said, giving me the phone number.
Meanwhile my wife had been standing there, listening to my end of the conversation, but knowing very little of what it was all about. I was literally overwhelmed and fell on the floor, as Abbie (Mrs. Eldridge) [my mother's mother] seized the receiver, soon getting all the details. But my outcries were so loud that she had to tell me to keep quiet so she could hear Lloyd. Florence and Mrs. Wareham were both dead, and the others, terribly injured and then in the Indio hospital, were about to be transferred immediately to Loma Linda, about 75 miles.
We planned to go immediately. Abbie phoned to Delight Clapp [a distant cousin] to ask her to look after Norma and Lawrence, Paul's children [Paul is my mother's brother], who live with us. Delight and Pauline Hopkins, both teachers at the Academy [Arizona Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist high school in Phoenix at that time, which later moved and was re-named Thunderbird Academy] and both special friends of Lois Ruth, were soon at the house, and it was decided that Delight would take care of the two children. Then the teachers both left.
We were phoning about trains (our car was not dependable) when Delight and Pauline returned, bringing with them Lucille Haskins, another teacher from the Academy and an old Atlantic Union College [my mother's undergraduate alma mater] friend of Florence's. They had a new plan. Lucille would take care of the children, and Delight and Pauline would take the new Chevrolet car belonging to the principal of the Academy, George Smith, and drive us over to Loma Linda at once! The offer was spontaneous. We never dreamed of such a thing. It was marvelous how helpful friends were.
We were soon packed and on our way. The two teachers had both worked hard all that day. but they alternated and drove all night. At Indio we stopped at the hospital and learned that the injured had left for Loma Linda about suppertime. It was around 3 a.m. We also went to the mortuary and asked to see Florence, but they persuaded us not to. They assured us that her face was not too badly mutilated.
Inquiring of the police we saw on the street in a prowl car, we learned about where the crash had occurred, and as we drove along we came to the overturned tank trailer on the right side of the road, about eleven miles west of Indio.
It was just about 6 a.m. Sabbath morning when we arrived at the Loma Linda Sanitarium. Lois Ruth looked ghastly. We feared she would not last long. She had been in shock, and soon went into another shock. They had given her plasma at Indio, and they gave her four transfusions in a few days. For eight days she ate practically nothing but vomited a lot. Her sufferings were unspeakable. Both femurs were fractured. The right side was a clean break, but the left was badly shattered -- a compound fracture. For thirteen days we lingered around, wondering for a time if there might not have to be another funeral. Most of those days we stayed with Mrs. R. L. Ward [her husband, Dr. Ward, was our family doctor in subsequent years when I was a child] and family, in Redlands. (It was that family near whom we had lived in Buckeye for about 18 months when we first came to Arizona.) Redlands is about five mile from Loma Linda, and Sister Ward ["Sister" is an honorific that used to be used frequently to refer to Adventist women; "Brother" was similarly used for men] had to drive her two children every day over to the Loma Linda Academy [where I later attended from 1st through 12th grades], so it made it handy for us. We can never forget the kindness of the Wards.
Nine days after the accident, Lois Ruth was encased in a cast which reached from her armpits to her toes. Later the bones slipped out of place in her left leg, and they had to open the cast and the flesh and put a plate on the left femur. She said that operation caused her the worst suffering of all. Then the bones in the right leg slipped, and they decided to discard that cast, so often disturbed, and put her into another. Six times she had to go to that operating room. Dr. Vernon Nickel, orthopedic specialist of Los Angeles, did the work.
She is supposed to stay in this last cast for three months; and many more months may elapse before she will be able to begin to start to try to learn to walk again, if she ever does [She did walk again, and quite well, but not until nearly a year after the accident, and, for the rest of her long life, she could never bend either knee more than about 90 degrees]. Only time can tell. Friends tell us that she must have been spared to do some great work for God. But for several days, she hardly wanted to recover. "Why couldn't it have been me to have died?" she said. Because the trip was started all in her behalf, she has felt to blame herself for it all. And then it was she who had invited Mrs. Wareham to go, and Mrs. Wareham was killed. But she has finally gotten hold of herself, and is strong in faith and trust in God. Mrs. Wareham, about sixty, was a special friend, and the mother of Bethel Wareham [my half sister, who was 30 years older than I], a former student of Lois Ruth's at Canadian Missionary College [located in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, and now known as Canadian University College]. Bethel is now a missionary nurse in the Juliaca clinic in Peru, the very place where our Florence used to nurse in South America. Mrs. Wareham lived at Loma Linda, where she used to be a nurse, and where her husband [my father] is now a male nurse.
No one can account for the accident. Florence had been driving twenty years, and never had an accident before. She had been driving every day, and all over the roads in that part of the state, and had been over that very road only a few weeks before, when, early in March she and all her family came over to Phoenix for a short visit with us.
Some have thought that the left front tire blew out, causing her to lose control of the car. It has been suggested that the tie-rod might have come apart. And that very day there was a terrific wind, tending to press her car towards the wrong side of the road. But the Kaiser was so terribly demolished that it was impossible to tell just what had taken place. The crash occurred at about 10:45 a.m., Friday April 28, on a straight and almost level stretch of road, right out in the desert. It was not a head-on collision. The Kaiser, traveling east, was meeting the truck and trailer, traveling west. But according to the driver of the truck, the Kaiser suddenly swerved and smashed into the rear wheels of the truck, stripping all those eight rear wheels clean off the chassis, and overturning the trailer tank. It was an oil truck and trailer outfit. The driver of the truck was unhurt; but the Kaiser on the left front end was smashed together like an accordian.
Mrs. Wareham was sitting next to Florence, and Mrs. Keyes was on the extreme right end of the front seat. Lois Ruth was lying down on the back seat, with her head to the right side of the car. She and Mrs. Keyes were thrown clear out of the car onto the pavement. The others were apparently killed instantly. Just before leaving the Sanitarium that morning, Lois Ruth was lying with her head to the left side of the car, but she reversed her position before they started. Had she not done so, it is probable that her head would have received the impact that fractured her legs, and she would have been killed.
Mrs. Wareham was sixty years of age, but Mrs. Keyes is very much younger, and a special friend of Florence's. The two women were going for a nice trip. Mrs. Keyes was not so seriously hurt, and is now up and around and making good progress towards recovery.
Florence's funeral was conducted by Pastor F. L. Abbott of the La Sierra College church at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday May 3. It was a large funeral. One of our friends said he counted over nine hundred persons who filed past the casket at the close of the service. Among them were the members of the faculty of the college, several ordained ministers and hundreds of children and young people. Marjorie Schweder, assistant superintendent of nurses at the White Memorial Hospital of Los Angeles, and Myra Kite of Tacoma Washington, were also there, both girls being long time friends of Florence and our family. Many magnificent floral tributes represented many groups and individuals, among them a huge broken wheel, made of flowers, from the New England Sanitarium where Florence trained.
Lloyd's sister, Viola (Mrs. Milton Walker) who sang at Florence's wedding in Worcester, Mass., church, rendered two solos, "Sometime We'll Understand," and "Beyond the Sunset." They were beautiful. Every word was clearly distinct; and those who know "Vi" will know the quality of her music. She was a stranger to practically that whole congregation, which includes many talented musicians; but she held them almost breathless with her artistry. How could she do it? Well, she sang from her heart; for she had long known and loved Florence, even before she became her sister-in-law, and the Lord certainly helped her at that time.
The Walkers live in Mountain View, Calif., where Milton is machinist at the Pacific Press [a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) publishing company which has since moved to Idaho]. Viola has been helping Lloyd with his three children--Carol, 8 1/2, David, 6 1/2, and Cherie, 3 1/2. Lloyd plans to sell out at Arlington and move to Mountain View close to his sister, Viola, who will help him with those motherless children.
After returning to Phoenix, Abbie (Mrs. Eldridge) had to go to bed for more than two weeks. She is still not really well. It has been a devastating experience for us both, and we are still feeling it deeply, especially at times. But we do trust God. We love Him, and believe Romans 8:28 ["We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose." RSV]. We recall Job's loss of ten children at one stroke, and we, too, can say, "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Florence was in good health, talented, trained and experienced. At 38, she had many years' expectancy for usefulness, as an asset to the cause [the SDA Church] as well as to her family. We cannot help wondering, "Why?" But we recall that the apostle James, one of the three special apostles, shortly after receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, when the young church needed him so much, was killed with the sword of Herod (Acts 12:2) "Why?"
And there was John the Baptist, to whom Jesus bore such a great testimonial, (Matt. 11:11) beheaded to satisfy the peeve of an adulterous woman. But in the chapter in "DESIRE OF AGES" [a book written by Ellen G. White, one of the founders of the SDA Church] dealing with that story, we read on page 225, "God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him." We must believe this.
We believe Florence was ready. We found her over-night case, containing a few things she needed for two nights away from home. There on top of her garments was her Bible. She knew that we have many Bibles around our house, but she didn't want to be without her very own copy of God's holy word, even for two nights.
Verily, the second coming of Jesus and the resurrection of the just are something to look forward to. No wonder the apostle called it "the blessed hope!" May God help us all to be ready--ready without an instant's warning, always!
The Tragedy
[an account by Claude E. Eldridge, my mother's father]
[an account by Claude E. Eldridge, my mother's father]
Early in April, Lois Ruth [my mother], who was training as a nurse in Loma Linda (Calif.) Sanitarium [where I was later born], was taken very sick [with her second bout of tuberculosis], and was confined to her bed about three weeks. Our older daughter, Florence (Mrs. Lloyd R. Wilkins), lived about 15 miles distant, in Arlington, Calif., close to La Sierra College [my undergraduate alma mater, which, when I attended was known as the La Sierra Campus of Loma Linda University but is now known as La Sierra University], where she was teaching some forenoon classes in Physiology. On the afternoon shift she worked in the Loma Linda Sanitarium, where she had recently been appointed head nurse over a department.
Because Lloyd had a new Kaiser car, Florence planned to bring Lois Ruth (about 350 miles) to Phoenix as soon as she became able to be moved. Friday, April 28 [1950], about 8 a.m., they started, and we were expecting them to arrive here about 4 p.m. But they never arrived.
Around 5:30 p.m. our phone rang, and the operator said, "Indio is calling Claude Eldridge." Instantly I sensed trouble, knowing that Indio was en route.
"Hello, Dad," came Lloyd's voice. "Get seated. There's been an accident." I was prepared for that, but not for what followed.
"Lois Ruth is all right," said Lloyd. "Her legs are injured, but they'll be all right in a few months." That was very bad news, but I never dreamed of what was coming.
"There were four in the car," said Lloyd. "Flossie [Florence's nickname], Lois Ruth, Mrs. Keyes, and Mrs. Wareham [my father's first wife, Mary]. Lois Ruth and Mrs. Keyes are here in the hospital in Indio. I am speaking from the hospital."
"Where are the others?" I asked.
"In the mortuary," he replied. For a split second I didn't grasp it. Then it struck me like a shot.
"In the MORTUARY?!" I almost screamed.
"Yes," replied Lloyd, "They're dead -- Flossie is dead!" Then I DID scream.
"Shall we have the services in Arlington or Loma Linda?" asked Lloyd. "What do you think?"
"I can't think," I managed to gasp.
"Well, call me again in an hour here at the Indio hospital after you have had time to think things over," he said, giving me the phone number.
Meanwhile my wife had been standing there, listening to my end of the conversation, but knowing very little of what it was all about. I was literally overwhelmed and fell on the floor, as Abbie (Mrs. Eldridge) [my mother's mother] seized the receiver, soon getting all the details. But my outcries were so loud that she had to tell me to keep quiet so she could hear Lloyd. Florence and Mrs. Wareham were both dead, and the others, terribly injured and then in the Indio hospital, were about to be transferred immediately to Loma Linda, about 75 miles.
We planned to go immediately. Abbie phoned to Delight Clapp [a distant cousin] to ask her to look after Norma and Lawrence, Paul's children [Paul is my mother's brother], who live with us. Delight and Pauline Hopkins, both teachers at the Academy [Arizona Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist high school in Phoenix at that time, which later moved and was re-named Thunderbird Academy] and both special friends of Lois Ruth, were soon at the house, and it was decided that Delight would take care of the two children. Then the teachers both left.
We were phoning about trains (our car was not dependable) when Delight and Pauline returned, bringing with them Lucille Haskins, another teacher from the Academy and an old Atlantic Union College [my mother's undergraduate alma mater] friend of Florence's. They had a new plan. Lucille would take care of the children, and Delight and Pauline would take the new Chevrolet car belonging to the principal of the Academy, George Smith, and drive us over to Loma Linda at once! The offer was spontaneous. We never dreamed of such a thing. It was marvelous how helpful friends were.
We were soon packed and on our way. The two teachers had both worked hard all that day. but they alternated and drove all night. At Indio we stopped at the hospital and learned that the injured had left for Loma Linda about suppertime. It was around 3 a.m. We also went to the mortuary and asked to see Florence, but they persuaded us not to. They assured us that her face was not too badly mutilated.
Inquiring of the police we saw on the street in a prowl car, we learned about where the crash had occurred, and as we drove along we came to the overturned tank trailer on the right side of the road, about eleven miles west of Indio.
It was just about 6 a.m. Sabbath morning when we arrived at the Loma Linda Sanitarium. Lois Ruth looked ghastly. We feared she would not last long. She had been in shock, and soon went into another shock. They had given her plasma at Indio, and they gave her four transfusions in a few days. For eight days she ate practically nothing but vomited a lot. Her sufferings were unspeakable. Both femurs were fractured. The right side was a clean break, but the left was badly shattered -- a compound fracture. For thirteen days we lingered around, wondering for a time if there might not have to be another funeral. Most of those days we stayed with Mrs. R. L. Ward [her husband, Dr. Ward, was our family doctor in subsequent years when I was a child] and family, in Redlands. (It was that family near whom we had lived in Buckeye for about 18 months when we first came to Arizona.) Redlands is about five mile from Loma Linda, and Sister Ward ["Sister" is an honorific that used to be used frequently to refer to Adventist women; "Brother" was similarly used for men] had to drive her two children every day over to the Loma Linda Academy [where I later attended from 1st through 12th grades], so it made it handy for us. We can never forget the kindness of the Wards.
Nine days after the accident, Lois Ruth was encased in a cast which reached from her armpits to her toes. Later the bones slipped out of place in her left leg, and they had to open the cast and the flesh and put a plate on the left femur. She said that operation caused her the worst suffering of all. Then the bones in the right leg slipped, and they decided to discard that cast, so often disturbed, and put her into another. Six times she had to go to that operating room. Dr. Vernon Nickel, orthopedic specialist of Los Angeles, did the work.
She is supposed to stay in this last cast for three months; and many more months may elapse before she will be able to begin to start to try to learn to walk again, if she ever does [She did walk again, and quite well, but not until nearly a year after the accident, and, for the rest of her long life, she could never bend either knee more than about 90 degrees]. Only time can tell. Friends tell us that she must have been spared to do some great work for God. But for several days, she hardly wanted to recover. "Why couldn't it have been me to have died?" she said. Because the trip was started all in her behalf, she has felt to blame herself for it all. And then it was she who had invited Mrs. Wareham to go, and Mrs. Wareham was killed. But she has finally gotten hold of herself, and is strong in faith and trust in God. Mrs. Wareham, about sixty, was a special friend, and the mother of Bethel Wareham [my half sister, who was 30 years older than I], a former student of Lois Ruth's at Canadian Missionary College [located in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada, and now known as Canadian University College]. Bethel is now a missionary nurse in the Juliaca clinic in Peru, the very place where our Florence used to nurse in South America. Mrs. Wareham lived at Loma Linda, where she used to be a nurse, and where her husband [my father] is now a male nurse.
No one can account for the accident. Florence had been driving twenty years, and never had an accident before. She had been driving every day, and all over the roads in that part of the state, and had been over that very road only a few weeks before, when, early in March she and all her family came over to Phoenix for a short visit with us.
Some have thought that the left front tire blew out, causing her to lose control of the car. It has been suggested that the tie-rod might have come apart. And that very day there was a terrific wind, tending to press her car towards the wrong side of the road. But the Kaiser was so terribly demolished that it was impossible to tell just what had taken place. The crash occurred at about 10:45 a.m., Friday April 28, on a straight and almost level stretch of road, right out in the desert. It was not a head-on collision. The Kaiser, traveling east, was meeting the truck and trailer, traveling west. But according to the driver of the truck, the Kaiser suddenly swerved and smashed into the rear wheels of the truck, stripping all those eight rear wheels clean off the chassis, and overturning the trailer tank. It was an oil truck and trailer outfit. The driver of the truck was unhurt; but the Kaiser on the left front end was smashed together like an accordian.
Mrs. Wareham was sitting next to Florence, and Mrs. Keyes was on the extreme right end of the front seat. Lois Ruth was lying down on the back seat, with her head to the right side of the car. She and Mrs. Keyes were thrown clear out of the car onto the pavement. The others were apparently killed instantly. Just before leaving the Sanitarium that morning, Lois Ruth was lying with her head to the left side of the car, but she reversed her position before they started. Had she not done so, it is probable that her head would have received the impact that fractured her legs, and she would have been killed.
Mrs. Wareham was sixty years of age, but Mrs. Keyes is very much younger, and a special friend of Florence's. The two women were going for a nice trip. Mrs. Keyes was not so seriously hurt, and is now up and around and making good progress towards recovery.
Florence's funeral was conducted by Pastor F. L. Abbott of the La Sierra College church at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday May 3. It was a large funeral. One of our friends said he counted over nine hundred persons who filed past the casket at the close of the service. Among them were the members of the faculty of the college, several ordained ministers and hundreds of children and young people. Marjorie Schweder, assistant superintendent of nurses at the White Memorial Hospital of Los Angeles, and Myra Kite of Tacoma Washington, were also there, both girls being long time friends of Florence and our family. Many magnificent floral tributes represented many groups and individuals, among them a huge broken wheel, made of flowers, from the New England Sanitarium where Florence trained.
Lloyd's sister, Viola (Mrs. Milton Walker) who sang at Florence's wedding in Worcester, Mass., church, rendered two solos, "Sometime We'll Understand," and "Beyond the Sunset." They were beautiful. Every word was clearly distinct; and those who know "Vi" will know the quality of her music. She was a stranger to practically that whole congregation, which includes many talented musicians; but she held them almost breathless with her artistry. How could she do it? Well, she sang from her heart; for she had long known and loved Florence, even before she became her sister-in-law, and the Lord certainly helped her at that time.
The Walkers live in Mountain View, Calif., where Milton is machinist at the Pacific Press [a Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) publishing company which has since moved to Idaho]. Viola has been helping Lloyd with his three children--Carol, 8 1/2, David, 6 1/2, and Cherie, 3 1/2. Lloyd plans to sell out at Arlington and move to Mountain View close to his sister, Viola, who will help him with those motherless children.
After returning to Phoenix, Abbie (Mrs. Eldridge) had to go to bed for more than two weeks. She is still not really well. It has been a devastating experience for us both, and we are still feeling it deeply, especially at times. But we do trust God. We love Him, and believe Romans 8:28 ["We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose." RSV]. We recall Job's loss of ten children at one stroke, and we, too, can say, "The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."
Florence was in good health, talented, trained and experienced. At 38, she had many years' expectancy for usefulness, as an asset to the cause [the SDA Church] as well as to her family. We cannot help wondering, "Why?" But we recall that the apostle James, one of the three special apostles, shortly after receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, when the young church needed him so much, was killed with the sword of Herod (Acts 12:2) "Why?"
And there was John the Baptist, to whom Jesus bore such a great testimonial, (Matt. 11:11) beheaded to satisfy the peeve of an adulterous woman. But in the chapter in "DESIRE OF AGES" [a book written by Ellen G. White, one of the founders of the SDA Church] dealing with that story, we read on page 225, "God never leads His children otherwise than they would choose to be led, if they could see the end from the beginning, and discern the glory of the purpose they are fulfilling as co-workers with Him." We must believe this.
We believe Florence was ready. We found her over-night case, containing a few things she needed for two nights away from home. There on top of her garments was her Bible. She knew that we have many Bibles around our house, but she didn't want to be without her very own copy of God's holy word, even for two nights.
Verily, the second coming of Jesus and the resurrection of the just are something to look forward to. No wonder the apostle called it "the blessed hope!" May God help us all to be ready--ready without an instant's warning, always!
Tsfat juxtapositions
This post is about interesting things I have seen and heard recently here in צפת Tsfat, one of Israel's 4 holy cities, which correspond to the 4 elements recognized by the ancients (Tsfat corresponds to Air because of its elevation; the others are ירושלים Jerusalem, connected to Fire because of the temple sacrifices; חברון Hebron, associated with Earth because of the graves of the patriarchs and matriarchs there; and טבריה Tiberias, linked with Water because of its location next to הכנרת the Kinneret, also known as "The Sea of Galilee").
The other day, I had gone to the bank to deposit some money. When I came out, I saw a sign that I hadn't noticed before (although it's likely that it's been there for some time). It said, in English, "Body Piercing Studio". I think perhaps I've seen some of their artistry around town, all on people under 25 (and some under 18, I'm sure). Anyway, I thought it was an interesting sign to see on רחוב ירושלים Jerusalem Street, which is the main road in "downtown" Tsfat.
Today, we went into town again on a couple of errands. Since we were heading for the pet store, we took the shortest route, which led us right through Tsfat's only real mall (yes, there is another one, but it's virtually empty). Anyway, this mall is so small that the whole thing would probably fit inside some large Gap stores in the States. It does have "elevator music" playing over the speakers, however, like a proper mall. The song that was playing caught my ear, so I listened a little more closely. Sure enough, it was אבינו מלכנו Avinu Malkenu, one of my favorites, the well-known High Holiday song. In this case though, it was being belted out by a female singer with full instrumental accompaniment in a pop music style perhaps somewhat like Mariah Carey!
At this time of year (between ראש השנה Rosh HaShana and יום כיפור Yom Kippur), one can hear people all over town greeting each other with גמר חתימה טובה Gmar khatima tova ("May you finish with a good sealing!"). Of course, this is a religious phrase referring to the final heavenly outcome at the end of the High Holidays, but even very secular people often give this greeting.
The other day, I had gone to the bank to deposit some money. When I came out, I saw a sign that I hadn't noticed before (although it's likely that it's been there for some time). It said, in English, "Body Piercing Studio". I think perhaps I've seen some of their artistry around town, all on people under 25 (and some under 18, I'm sure). Anyway, I thought it was an interesting sign to see on רחוב ירושלים Jerusalem Street, which is the main road in "downtown" Tsfat.
Today, we went into town again on a couple of errands. Since we were heading for the pet store, we took the shortest route, which led us right through Tsfat's only real mall (yes, there is another one, but it's virtually empty). Anyway, this mall is so small that the whole thing would probably fit inside some large Gap stores in the States. It does have "elevator music" playing over the speakers, however, like a proper mall. The song that was playing caught my ear, so I listened a little more closely. Sure enough, it was אבינו מלכנו Avinu Malkenu, one of my favorites, the well-known High Holiday song. In this case though, it was being belted out by a female singer with full instrumental accompaniment in a pop music style perhaps somewhat like Mariah Carey!
At this time of year (between ראש השנה Rosh HaShana and יום כיפור Yom Kippur), one can hear people all over town greeting each other with גמר חתימה טובה Gmar khatima tova ("May you finish with a good sealing!"). Of course, this is a religious phrase referring to the final heavenly outcome at the end of the High Holidays, but even very secular people often give this greeting.
Monday, October 6, 2008
A Sunday at Rambam
On Shabbat, David was really feeling quite awful. He ached all over and had hardly any energy. Also, his blood sugars were running unusually high. At some point, he remembered that he had a card in his wallet that comes in every package of one of his HIV medicines, Kivexa. When we took it out, it seemed possible that his symptoms could be related to this drug. So, on Sunday morning he called Dr. Shachar, his HIV doctor at Rambam Medical Center, in Haifa. Then we drove down there to get the problem checked out.
Dr. Shachar took blood for a number of tests. David's veins are always difficult to find and get into, and, before they could complete getting all the blood they needed, David got nauseated and vomited all over. It was quite a surprise to all of us, including David!
Anyway, they sent some of the samples for immediate analysis to the lab, and the results that came back (we waited in the doctor's office) showed that he had lactic acidosis. His blood pH was lower than the normal range, and the amount of lactate in the blood was above the normal range. So, Dr. Shachar decided to send David to the ER (in Hebrew it's חדר מיון which means literally "sorting room") so that these levels could be tested a little later.
Because of some construction that is going on at Rambam, the ER (or at least the part of it, internal medicine, that he was sent to) is in the basement and the room was really crowded. They managed to find a place for his bed near an emergency exit (well, at least that's what the sign said, but that didn't keep all manner of traffic from going in and out that way while he was there!). During the course of the afternoon and evening, they often had beds in the aisle between where they were supposed to be, and, even along the walls, the beds were packed in more than they were designed to be.
The staff there were really good, though. His main nurse, who, I'm pretty sure was native Israeli, asked him right off about what language he preferred to speak in (English, in case you were wondering!) and then proceeded to talk with us fluently. She could even joke with us in English! And she was a good nurse, too. She managed to get a good IV in so that they could take any blood samples that they needed and so that they could get a liter of IV fluid into him.
Early in our stay there (which lasted from sometime in the mid-afternoon until after 10:30 at night!), there was some kind of confrontation with the husband of a woman patient. They made him leave the room, but he began to argue and started to fight with the Ethiopian security man. The security guy was obviously well-trained and was able to control him quite well until reinforcements (at least 3 more security guys) could get there. But the man was still yelling in the hall right outside, and, before long, his wife (the patient) was also hysterical! Anyway, the whole situation eventually calmed down, and the man stayed there peacefully with his wife until she was released, a little while before we left.
As is true in most places, I think, the ER has an interesting cross-section of the local population. And here in Israel, especially in Haifa, it can be quite interesting, indeed! The 2nd most common language heard was certainly Russian (unless it was actually FIRST, before Hebrew!). I certainly heard quite a bit of Arabic as well, though, including doctors and nurses. Although most doctors here seem to be pretty good in English, the one assigned to David didn't speak much English at all. I was able to communicate well enough with her in Hebrew, though, and she was definitely a good doctor.
Eventually, David was sent for the obligatory visit to צילום (imaging). It must be some kind of a policy, because ALL ER patients are sent at one point or another to x-ray or ultrasound. In this case, we went to both, first to אולטרהסאונד ultrasound and then to צילום רנטגן x-ray. When we got back to the ER, his original place, of course, was taken, and his bed had to be one of the ones in the aisle for some time, until a place opened up. Even then, his bed was right against that of an older man, who was mostly sleeping.
Across the aisle from us, a bit of drama unfolded. A seriously overweight young man (maybe 30-something) was wheeled in. He seemed to be in quite a bit of pain, but the source didn't seem too clear. What WAS clear was that the pain increased significantly whenever a nurse or doctor was around. On the other hand, when it was just his family, he could even laugh and joke (in Arabic). I think, though, that he got the medicine that he wanted, and then they sent him on his way.
Next to us (on the opposite side from the afore-mentioned older man), there was an older Arabic woman (with her head covered except for her face) who had a serious problem with swelling in her ankles. Her son, who was probably 40-something, hung around most of the time, too. When they left, a little before we did, they both wished שנה טובה (a good year) and חג שמח (happy holiday) to the staff and to us, in Hebrew, of course. This is a little like Jews wishing people "Merry Christmas" in December in the States. :-)
So, yes, David WAS released from the ER, since the acidity of his blood had reversed and was even little ABOVE the normal range. His lactate level was still a little high, though.
When we got home, he took the problematic medicine (which he had skipped Saturday night), and, sure enough, today he felt achy and very tired, almost like on Shabbat. I called Dr. Shachar again, and they will now have to find a different medicine to replace this one, which, as I have now read, is known to cause lactic acidosis in some patients.
Dr. Shachar took blood for a number of tests. David's veins are always difficult to find and get into, and, before they could complete getting all the blood they needed, David got nauseated and vomited all over. It was quite a surprise to all of us, including David!
Anyway, they sent some of the samples for immediate analysis to the lab, and the results that came back (we waited in the doctor's office) showed that he had lactic acidosis. His blood pH was lower than the normal range, and the amount of lactate in the blood was above the normal range. So, Dr. Shachar decided to send David to the ER (in Hebrew it's חדר מיון which means literally "sorting room") so that these levels could be tested a little later.
Because of some construction that is going on at Rambam, the ER (or at least the part of it, internal medicine, that he was sent to) is in the basement and the room was really crowded. They managed to find a place for his bed near an emergency exit (well, at least that's what the sign said, but that didn't keep all manner of traffic from going in and out that way while he was there!). During the course of the afternoon and evening, they often had beds in the aisle between where they were supposed to be, and, even along the walls, the beds were packed in more than they were designed to be.
The staff there were really good, though. His main nurse, who, I'm pretty sure was native Israeli, asked him right off about what language he preferred to speak in (English, in case you were wondering!) and then proceeded to talk with us fluently. She could even joke with us in English! And she was a good nurse, too. She managed to get a good IV in so that they could take any blood samples that they needed and so that they could get a liter of IV fluid into him.
Early in our stay there (which lasted from sometime in the mid-afternoon until after 10:30 at night!), there was some kind of confrontation with the husband of a woman patient. They made him leave the room, but he began to argue and started to fight with the Ethiopian security man. The security guy was obviously well-trained and was able to control him quite well until reinforcements (at least 3 more security guys) could get there. But the man was still yelling in the hall right outside, and, before long, his wife (the patient) was also hysterical! Anyway, the whole situation eventually calmed down, and the man stayed there peacefully with his wife until she was released, a little while before we left.
As is true in most places, I think, the ER has an interesting cross-section of the local population. And here in Israel, especially in Haifa, it can be quite interesting, indeed! The 2nd most common language heard was certainly Russian (unless it was actually FIRST, before Hebrew!). I certainly heard quite a bit of Arabic as well, though, including doctors and nurses. Although most doctors here seem to be pretty good in English, the one assigned to David didn't speak much English at all. I was able to communicate well enough with her in Hebrew, though, and she was definitely a good doctor.
Eventually, David was sent for the obligatory visit to צילום (imaging). It must be some kind of a policy, because ALL ER patients are sent at one point or another to x-ray or ultrasound. In this case, we went to both, first to אולטרהסאונד ultrasound and then to צילום רנטגן x-ray. When we got back to the ER, his original place, of course, was taken, and his bed had to be one of the ones in the aisle for some time, until a place opened up. Even then, his bed was right against that of an older man, who was mostly sleeping.
Across the aisle from us, a bit of drama unfolded. A seriously overweight young man (maybe 30-something) was wheeled in. He seemed to be in quite a bit of pain, but the source didn't seem too clear. What WAS clear was that the pain increased significantly whenever a nurse or doctor was around. On the other hand, when it was just his family, he could even laugh and joke (in Arabic). I think, though, that he got the medicine that he wanted, and then they sent him on his way.
Next to us (on the opposite side from the afore-mentioned older man), there was an older Arabic woman (with her head covered except for her face) who had a serious problem with swelling in her ankles. Her son, who was probably 40-something, hung around most of the time, too. When they left, a little before we did, they both wished שנה טובה (a good year) and חג שמח (happy holiday) to the staff and to us, in Hebrew, of course. This is a little like Jews wishing people "Merry Christmas" in December in the States. :-)
So, yes, David WAS released from the ER, since the acidity of his blood had reversed and was even little ABOVE the normal range. His lactate level was still a little high, though.
When we got home, he took the problematic medicine (which he had skipped Saturday night), and, sure enough, today he felt achy and very tired, almost like on Shabbat. I called Dr. Shachar again, and they will now have to find a different medicine to replace this one, which, as I have now read, is known to cause lactic acidosis in some patients.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Tel Khatzor
Today, we decided to visit a national park near us (in fact, it's probably the nearest to us of any national park) called Tel Khatzor. We had never been there before, although we had, of course, driven by many times. It's located just down the hill, a little north of Rosh Pinna and Khatzor HaGlilit (the modern-day city).
In the Canaanite Period, Khatzor was the largest and most important city in this entire country, with about 15,000 inhabitants. The city and one of its kings are mentioned in the Tanach (the Bible), and it is also mentioned in documents from Mesopotamia and from Egypt. According to the Tanach, the Israelites conquered and destroyed Khatzor by fire, and, indeed, archeologists have found the the city was destroyed around that time by a major catastrophic fire.
Later, part of the city was re-built, by Solomon, according to the Tanach. We also saw some of this part, including the foundations of the main gate of the city. Later still, King Ahab, of the northern kingdom of Israel (whose wife was the infamous Jezebel) enlarged the city considerably. He also dug a huge pit within the city walls with a tunnel connecting it to the ground water. This was so that the people in the city would have access to water even during a siege, a very important factor in such a situation. The original steps around the side of the pit are still visible, but a pair of spiral staircases has been constructed so the modern visitors (including yours truly) can go down and see the bottom of the pit and the tunnel to the water source (which was dry today). I'm attaching 3 pictures of this amazing piece of ancient engineering (not to mention the cool modern spiral staircases!), which, according to the signs there, is similar to several others found in this country by archeologists. Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Snakes, some for sale, some not eating
Today (Wednesday, 1 Oct), we took 28 snakes over to our friend, Golan, at Kibbutz Matzuba (near Shlomi). There were actually several reasons: some are for sale; some are in partial payment for Y'hudit, the anerythristic female that we got from him last year but who actually belonged to another friend of his; and some have either not eaten at all or have been poor eaters (Golan and the guys who work for him there are good at getting snakes to eat). This will decrease the number of mouths I have to feed considerably. While we were there, he also paid us for the 4 babies that he has been able to sell so far. So, it was a profitable and enjoyable trip on a lovely early autumn day. Afterwards, we went to Greg Cafe in Nahariya and had a nice lunch there before returning home.
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