If you have been watching this channel, you will see that there are many inherent dangers that come alongside working with horses. Added on to this is the danger of logging, which is quite high on the list as far as danger is concerned. On top of this, Jim chooses to log alone- which many would say is not wise and more dangerous.
Jim has been hurt before, but never hospitalized. There was the time when he came home after a tree jumped back as it was being felled and caught him on the foot. Nothing was broken but sometimes crushing injuries are more painful and take as long to heal as broken bones. Here's a picture of Jim's ankle after the tree caught him.
He has been stepped on before by the horses on more than one occasion. He had to stop what he was doing immediately to put his foot up and apply ice. There was also a time when he was kicked in the face by a crazy heifer and knocked unconscious. Our son Levi pulled him to safety and had the rescue called, as I was not home. Jim broke quite a few bones in his face, but seems to have recovered without too many lasting effects (he feels as though his memory in not quite what it used to be...or could that be age? :) ) There have been a few other freak accidents that have laid Jim up for a week or two and there are probably many more things Jim could tell you about, things that nearly happened but he did not tell me about because he did not want me to worry. On top of this, our son Levi logs alone with a skidder. He has had a tree land on and crush his ankle. He had to get out of the woods and to the hospital on his own when this happened. That's Jim and Levi in the picture below.
There is an old saying, "If your day is hemmed with prayer, it is less likely to unravel". Jim and I choose to live by that motto. In the morning we pray for God's safety for ourselves and our children, grandchildren and the horses. At night we thank God that He saw us through the day. I am always very glad to hear the truck and trailer come rumbling into the driveway, or see the Jim and the horses come up the road-whichever the case may be. I whisper a prayer of thanks. I would not ask Jim to change what he is doing . We both feel it is very important that people have jobs that they thoroughly enjoy doing and are gifted to do. No one is promised tomorrow. But it makes all the difference knowing that no matter what lies ahead, we are not alone. And it reminds us that each day is to be enjoyed and lived to the fullest.