Oh, I�ve seen Fire and I�ve seen Rain

What a nutty week this one was� Fall is definitely upon us, as the temps have been in the 50�s and 60�s all week. We�ve had some rain and lots of wind. On Monday, Matt went to physical therapy to rehab his shoulder. There was fear that he had torn his rotator cuff, as he was experiencing the same type of pain consistent with that type of injury. He worked really, really hard all week to get his shoulder back up to par. Matt still went to football practice, while not being released to participate. Luke had fun at soccer practice and Abby enjoyed learning new steps in both her dance classes. Since Matt didn�t dress for his game Tuesday afternoon, Ann & I didn�t make the trip to Batesville. The kids rallied around Matt�s absence against their rivals and won 18-16. Since we didn�t go to Matt�s game, it was sweatshirt and hat weather on Tuesday night as we headed out to Abby�s soccer practice with the wind howling and the temp down below 60?. We had a lot of fun playing a game called knock-out the entire practice�which wasn�t my intention, but it served its purpose � the kids ran hard, kicked hard, played defense, had fun�and kept warm! Abby stepped in a hole and turned her ankle. It would be sore most of the week and she iced it the next four nights to keep down the swelling. It was dark before we finally stopped playing that night. 😛 I love playing ’til it gets dark out…I think I always have…it’s a magical time of the day that you have to cherish, since it only lasts a short time each day.
Wednesday morning, we finally got rid of the aqua marine loaner mini van and got Ann�s black Pacifica back from Acra’s. They even washed and detailed it for us. It looked really nice when we picked it up�which it should, considering I think we paid for four employees� wages for a month with our bill. 🙁 Ann still needs to follow up with Walter�s Tires, which is what started this whole mess. When they replaced the tires on the Pacifica back in late August, they either used a water-based lube or they got wet tires or something; either way, all four sensors failed immediately after they put the tires on � and two of them were less than six months old. After work, I picked up Luke and headed over to Mom & Gigi�s house to mow and trim. Jason said he did nothing to my blower, but it has started every time since he �did nothing.??? I only have four more weeks of driving the truck before we suspend the insurance again on it this year � another sure sign that the seasons have indeed changed.

On Thursday, we were back out at the soccer fields for a couple hours for Luke & Bu�s practices. We again were dressed in sweatshirts and hats, as it dipped in to the 50�s by the time practice began. It was again dark by the time we finished up practice. It must be close to the time to �fall back??? with our time change again. I can never remember when we do it, but I know it�s close to Halloween. The kids brought home pictures for us that night. Abby had her school pictures (I assume Luke will get his on Monday). Matt again forgot to turn in his picture money this year and so he missed getting his picture taken, like he did a couple years ago. �that boy is so irresponsible at times� So, we are awaiting re-takes for him. However, he did manage to turn in his $ for football pictures at least � and he brought those home that night.

Friday was a trip� The following is an excerpt from an email I sent to my CPR trainer around noon on Friday that best explains what happened to me on my drive in to work�it has changed my life forever…
Hi Linda,
This morning, I was driving to work as normal. It had rained all night and was just stopping, so the roads were pretty slick. As I approached the stop sign outside of Columbus on Nortonburg Rd., I suddenly looked up from the cars in front of me to see that there had been an accident. It must’ve just happened, as there were a few cars driving through the debris to hurry on to work. I kind of sat there for about a minute or so and just took in the whole scene. There were two people involved, both small trucks. One was off in the adjacent field and the other along side the road, in the ditch. One was smoking pretty heavily. I finally pulled around the two gawkers in front of me and pulled off in the ditch and got out to help. I ran to the first man, who had crawled out of his truck and was lying in the field, moaning. A lady was with him, so I went on to the other truck which had now burst in to flames. A lady was screaming about there being a man trapped inside. When I got to the truck, another man had a crowbar and was attempting to pry open the driver’s side door. I too attempted to pull the door off (not sure what the hell I was thinking?!). When that didn’t work, I noticed that the window had been busted out and the man’s face and head was bleeding and he was covered with glass. I asked him if his legs were pinned (the cab was pretty badly crumpled). He said no, but that they hurt pretty bad. I will never forget the helpless, dazed look in his eyes, with blood streaming down his face, glass in his hair and all over his jacket and heavy smoke in the air.
By this time, the fire was getting really hot and we needed to do something drastic, for fear it would explode. Another man & I agreed to try and pull him out of the window. So we got him repositioned in the cab and I pulled him out by the shoulders and the other man grabbed his legs. The truck started making loud popping noises as we walked from the truck. We laid him in the field and about that time a bystander (who must’ve been an EMT or something) came over with what looked like a suitcase. It was a huge 1st Aid kit of some sort. She put a neck brace on him and I ran back to my van to get out blankets. There were 2 others helping him, so we covered him up and I went to go help the other injured man. He was moaning but able to somewhat speak intermittently (due to shock, I presume). There were 3 others helping him and had moved him from his belly to his side. Rather than moving him any more, I folded one of my blankets, gave it to a lady to put under his head and we made sure not to move his head as she held it steady until paramedics arrived. One lady (a nurse?) checked for bruising in the sternum (his air bag went off and he was complaining of chest pain) and feeling in his toes. By the time we covered up this man, the advanced responders were beginning to arrive.
All told, there were 3 ambulances, 3 fire trucks and 6 police/sheriff cars. About 30 people were working the scene at one point, including a photographer who was taking photos of the scene�which was OK, except for some close up shots that – to me- were inappropriate. They were both loaded onto back boards, the fire was put out and the sheriff took my info. Traffic was backed up for a quarter mile in all three directions, so I called Gigi so she could tell her listeners to avoid this intersection. Although I was somewhat baffled that of all those people only about 10 of us got out to help, I was very thankful for those who did. It was their quick actions that helped these two men this morning. I am not sure why, but even as I type this I am beginning to well up with tears. My hands are starting to tremble as well. I also experienced this same thing the other 3 times I told this story this morning. Kevin said it was nerves and adrenaline. Looking back on it, I don’t know if I’ve ever been as scared as I was, running up to that flaming truck, but I kept going. …and that is why I am relating this story to you – to thank you for the wonderful training and high standards you promote and exposed me to with your CPR and 1st Aid courses. As an instructor, I was always so afraid to use these skills; for fear that I would forget�I guess instincts just kicked in, due to you beating it in to my skull for all these years. So thank you, Linda; you made a huge difference in two men’s lives today…and have made a lasting impression on mine forever.

Here is the write up from the event on The Republic website:

Two injured in Marr Road morning accident
Two men were injured in a traffic accident early Friday at Marr Road and Road 450N. One of the men was trapped inside his burning vehicle and was pulled from the wreckage by passersby, authorities said. The accident happened at 8:07 a.m. when Lyle Castetter, 20, of Hope, failed to stop at the intersection while driving westbound on Road 450N, according to Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department. Castetter’s pickup truck drove into the path of a sport-utility vehicle northbound on Marr Road driven by Ryan Bramlett, 31, of Columbus. The impact caused Castetter’s pickup to catch on fire. Castetter was trapped inside until two passers-by pulled him free. Both drivers were taken to Columbus Regional Hospital. Castetter suffered cuts and scrapes on his head. Bramlett was checked for a complaint of pain. Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mo Holman investigated the crash. Columbus Fire Engine 2 and Squad 2, Clifford Volunteer Fire Department, Hope Reserve Officer Brian Bailey, Deputies Jim Stevens, Matt Miller and Capt�s. John Martoccia and Greg Duke assisted at the scene.

There is a video of the truck on fire, taken by the other man that helped lift the guy out of his burning truck � located on The Republic‘s front page. It was also the lead story on the front page of the newspaper on Saturday. His name is Ivan Valdes. He was kind enough to send me the video to share with you here. It was a scary scene. Thank you Ivan for sharing your video with me.

Later that morning, Abby took part in a walk-a-thon. She had been raising donations the previous few weeks. Her school raised over $38K!! This event was sponsored by the Pirates Boosters and replaces various fundraising throughout the year. Gigi was there to take pictures for me. Friday night, I went back to the doctor for a routine checkup that went very well. I still have to take my medicine for now; but that could change depending upon how my labs come back (fingers crossed!). Ann had the day off and went to Metamora with her best friend, Amy, to go to some crafty-type thing (Canal Days. In case your wondering!�Ann). They planned to go scrap-booking in case of rain, but they decided to cancel it since the weather turned out to be acceptable for shopping. MaryAnn took Matt back to physical therapy earlier in the day, where Matt received good news that his hard work this week had paid off and the therapist recommended a return to football. I had to take him back to the doctor for a follow-up visit to discuss the physical therapist�s findings. We were thrilled when the doctor released him back to full contact sports! We celebrated by getting take out from Koch�s.

The next morning, we were up early again for soccer games. Abby was up first. This was her final home game and the last game of the regular season. She did not play goalie for the first time this season. She got to play 3 quarters as a forward and battled all game with her good friend, Chloe. We were in the game through 3 quarters, down 2-1. They scored one final goal by another of Abby�s good friends, Emma Hellmich; who made a sweet goal, dribbling around 3 of our defenders and placing the ball gently in the goal. Even I had to give her a high-five for it! We lost 3-1, but we were missing our best player and had another player break his pinky; ending his season. They played with a lot of heart again and continued to make progress.

Luke was up directly following Abby�s game. This was his last game, period. He didn�t play up to his potential. I think he and big brother played too hard during Bu�s game, because his energy level was nowhere near its normal level. He was only half jogging most of the game and didn�t have that second gear that he normally has; however, they did score a goal and won 1-0! The coaches had to take two laps, as promised to the kids if they won. The players enjoyed rooting on the men and giving them a hard time while they ran. 😛

Afterward, we came home and the boys went to work out in the yard. Matt did a very nice job of trimming the hedges. Matt & Luke helped me to continue winterizing the house and putting everything away for the colder months. That evening, the league held its annual awards cookout. It was very cold out at Washington fields. The wind was so strong and the clouds blocked the sun from the sky. All week, the league president had been emailing and talking to me at the fields, encouraging me to run for a league board position. I was flattered, but ultimately declined the invitation. Still, there were many nice words put out by a couple league members and I do appreciate all the kind words I received from them this week. Joey, the league president, said very nice things in his introductions of Matt (my co-coach) and myself before introducing the children and giving them their trophies. Matthew and I played Frisbee with our Heavyweight Wham-o disc � which performed really well in the windy conditions. Matt�s Frisbee skills have drastically improved over the summer, albeit minimal throwing time.

On Sunday, Ann received a text from her friend Tonia, stating that I had made the paper again, this time in the Orchids & Onions section. The guy in the truck (Lyle)�s mom (Tina) had put two orchids in the paper for me. I thought that was pretty cool of her. She also called and left a message on our voice mail Saturday afternoon. Apparently, they had taken her son to Indy for further treatment, but that ultimately his prognosis was positive. I called her back Sunday morning and I am pleased to pass on that Lyle is doing fine. He is scheduled to be discharged from Methodist on Tuesday or Wednesday. He had one surgery already and will have another one on Monday. He had several injuries that I won�t go in to here, but Tina was very gracious. I was quick to point out that I played a very small part in a much greater act that morning�

We finally called Nintendo that morning, to get Matt�s Wii fixed. It keeps freezing on him during game play. His last one did the same thing and they replaced it. This time, they charged us $85, but we get a year warranty with it, so we still feel like we came out ahead. The kids bugged Ann & I enough to get us to take them to the pumpkin patch � of course we had to leave just as the Colts game and the race were both beginning. 🙁 We again went to Armand�s Harper Valley pumpkin patch outside Westport. It was a beautiful afternoon to spend as a family. We walked for about 10 minutes back to the pumpkin patch and spent a good half hour back there. The kids had a blast again this year. Besides the pumpkins, they had mums, gourds and Indian corn. They had some piglets and a cow in a little petting zoo-type of attraction. They were also selling food and other knick-knacks. It was a great deal for what we got and we highly recommend them instead of Wal-Mart or the like. We have been using them now for about 5 years and have not been disappointed by their selection. We came back and set up a different display than we�ve had in years past. We also dug out all of our Halloween / fall decorations from the garage on that gorgeous afternoon. Matt and I were delighted to watch the Colts run their record to 4-0 (actually, listened to it on the radio since we were out and about). We were also happy to see Stewart & Gordon finish 1, 2 at the Kansas NASCAR race�but bummed that the Cowboys blew their game and are now a mediocre 2-2 on the year. Ann & the kids cooked chicken fettuccini alfredo for dinner. Afterwards, Ann took Matt and the dogs for a walk at sundown before she took the two little kids over to Christi�s to visit and get Abby an outfit for pioneer day. She is going to Conner Prairie as an outing with her class next week. Sandy called me and we did an interview for Monday�s radio broadcast�despite Matthew�s attempts to mess me up by getting me laughing (which he did once; I hope Sandy can edit that part out!). I’ll post a link to it next week if she decides to put it on the WTRE website.

Well, that�s it for this edition. I�m hoping to get some time to go through an old box of photos for future Waybac features. For now, I�m still slacking on the old photos, but I do have a collage of videos from this week. I had to split it in two due to being just a tad too long for YouTube – try not to get sick from Matthew handling camera duties�

OK; now that’s really it. Thanks again for keeping up with the Scheu family. We’ll catch up with you next time. Until then, have a good one. Later, Scheu