My grandparents were all dressed up to go out, to a wedding maybe? Or a funeral? Clabe was in a three-piece suit, Leora in a dark dress and a hat with a little feather.
“Mom, do you know where your folks might have been going in this old picture?” I asked.
“Yes. Mom was going to have a needle taken out of her hand.”
I knew the needle story. Grandma was visiting us once when I was a girl and showed us that she couldn’t flatten out her right hand. We were cautioned never to leave a needle stuck in the arm of a couch.
Grandma told how she’d forgotten about the needle she used to repair things in the small town of Dexter, Iowa, then parked it in the bib of the apron she wore over her house dress. Her tub washer was broken so she scrubbed the laundry–for nine people–on a corrugated metal washboard. She felt a stab in the palm of her hand.
It happened so fast, she said. And it had broken off so she couldn’t get a hold of it to pull it out.
They had no extra money for a doctor but, Depression years or not, she needed one.
Dr. Chapler numbed her hand and fished around for the needle but couldn’t find it. He sent her home, said to soak the hand in hot water, and he’d get a time set up for x-rays at a hospital.
Leora didn’t think about how hot the water was. She couldn’t feel it. It burned the skin on her hand, so now they had to wait until the burn healed.
The day the picture was taken, Clabe and Leora were waiting for a ride to the hospital, which was an hour away. . . .
The entire story, including why my grandparents dressed up to have the needle removed from Grandma’s hand was my first blog post on Weebly, April 2, 2015. It’s also part of Leora’s Dexter Stories: The Scarcity Years of the Great Depression, and now in Chapter 5: Grandma Leora in The Immigrant and the Outlaw: A Collection of Stories from America’s Heartland.
And was first aired on Our American Stories, June 2021. You may listen to it here, after some ads.
Enjoy this every time I read it!
I do too, Dennis. It tickles me that she thought to draw around her hand in a letter to her oldest sons so she could show where the needle ended up.
This is such an amazing story and I can see how that could happen.
Thank you, Darlene. It certainly made me more cautious about where I “parked” my needle and thread.
I love this story SO MUCH. Leora was amazing in countless ways! 💝💝💝
Bless you, Vicki!
Love you, Joy! Hugs to Guy! 💝😊💝
I’ll bet she was glad to get rid of that needle.
I think the whole family was, John! What an ordeal.
Wonderful story, Joy, I’ve been reading these for a while, and I decided to snag the book.
Thank you, Dan. It’s kind of like pot luck but it was fun to work on! I’m enjoying sharing back stories and more photos.
Your stories are the stories of life. I love that.
Thanks so much, Dan.
I’m impressed by Leora’s sketch of her hand. She even drew the bones with joints! 🙂
Thank you, Nancy. And all for her “Navy boys,” but we get to savor it as well!
I remember the story of the needle in Leora’s hand very well. Ouch!!
Especially when the doctor couldn’t find it the first time. Ouch, is right!
That, too!
⚓🚢🥰
Ouch. My hands hurt just reading this story. Ha,ha.
You’re right, Brian. That surgery had to be fairly primitive. Yikes!
Such a memorable event!!! And what a trouper your grandmother was!
She certainly was, Lori, and a cheerful one, even after so many losses.
That is a wonderful gift, to remain strong and cheerful despite terrible loss. 🙏
She certainly was, Lori.
She sure looks good for an appointment, Joy, and so does he. Her drawing of her hand is great. It’s good that she did finally get the needle removed.
It sure was, Tim!
😍🙏
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