History of Frank & Lucinda Tyler Carpenter by Lucinda, installment #6

When it was time for me to get out of bed things began to happen. When the baby was 10 days old I started to assume some of the household duties. But I soon found I had another job. All four of the other children were breaking out with the measles. We moved their beds into my room where it would be easier to care for them. We had things worked out pretty good when my husband came down, not with the measles, but with the Flu. That put him to bed, leaving me the cow to milk and separating to do and all the other chores. Sometimes at night I would be so tired I’d think I couldn’t go through another day, but I’d usually have a good night’s sleep and rest, and each day I was stronger so when everyone got well I was fine and didn’t need to rest.

Some time later when my brother Delbert was running my Dad’s (Frank Tyler’s) farm, we moved to the Carpenter (Erastus Snow Carpenter) place so we would be close, as Frank was helping on the farm.

On July 8, 1927 another fine baby boy joined our family. Then there were four wonderful boys and we were all happy with the new baby, but things didn’t go so good for me. I had infection in my leg, (the doctor called it milk leg), which caused me to be bedfast for six weeks. My legs were so bad I felt terrible. I wondered sometimes if I was going to make it, and I was so worried for fear I would never walk again. But with Dr. Platt’s persistence and good care, and the help my girls gave me, plus the help of my whole family and our Heavenly Father, I got on my feet again. I was able to walk but my legs were far from well legs; but I was happy that I could get around and take over some of the housework. The girls were just wonderful during my illness. They took over the washing, ironing, cooking and housework without any complaints. I surely appreciated them. When we thought our troubles were about over, Ivan, who was ten, began complaining of his leg. He said it was so sore and hurt so much he could hardly walk on it. It began swelling and every day it was worse. We had the doctor look at it. he said it was as abscess, and he would open it when it was ready, which he did.

But when it was time to heal, it wouldn’t heal. We would think it was almost well when it would break out again. Dr. Platt would not give up. He operated on it four times before he got rid of all the infection and the infected bone so it could heal. It was Dr. Platt’s persistence and constant faith that he could heal it, and the prayers of the family, that saved the leg. It did heal and turned out to be a good leg. Ivan was then 15.

On October 13, 1928 my brother, Delbert, passed away and then my husband took over my Dad’s farm. About this time he homesteaded some land down by the river in order to get the wood. Later he started clearing it and planting it a little at a time, working at it part time while he was working for someone else. When he finally got the 20 acres in production he put his full time on it and it made us a good living. But it wasn’t easy. There was lots of work and the constant worry of floods from the river which occasionally covered it over or washed chunks of it away. That is why it was so dear to us. We had to work so hard to keep it.