What Can Happen in the Garden (CAUTION: A BIT GRAPHIC)

[Matthew Schenker]

I'm so careful when I do woodworking, holding safety as one of my top priorities.  Usually, I'm pretty safe when I do garden work as well, especially when working with sharp, cutting objects means to shear through 2"-diameter branches of greenwood!

So, why was I daydreaming on Saturday afternoon while snipping branches off my Rose of Sharon?  I was using a nice new pair of garden shears, holding the branches with my left hand and cutting them with my right hand.  I got a little too automatic with the process and overshot one of the branches, catching my left wrist in the shears.  Just like that, an open wound all the way through to the subcutaneous fat layer.  Spent the rest of the afternoon in the emergency room, ending up with five stitches.

I was so angry at myself, I decided to shoot a photo as a reminder.  For those of you who don't mind such things, and perhaps need your own reminder, take a look here...
[attachthumb=1]

I actually feel somewhat fortunate.  Considering how careless I was being, it could have been worse.  Luckily, I don't use electric shears!!

A lesson to take my time!

Matthew

PS: The pain from the iodine in the open wound, and the tetanus shot, were worse than the injury itself.

 

[henry1224]

Dear Lefty!

it sounds like a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.

Thank God that it wasn't worse!

We all take for granted the most mundane tasks, and yet these are the jobs that we get hurt on.

Like Clint Eastwood says  A man has got to know his limitations"

 

[Matthew Schenker]

Dear Lefty!

it sounds like a case of the right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.

Thank God that it wasn't worse!

Righty, actually.  Luckily, it was my left wrist, since tonight was my bowling night.  When I walked in with my wrist all bandaged up in gauze, I got the predictable jokes, along the line of "We didn't know you were so upset you'd try to off yourself..."

It's healing fine.  The doctor did a great job stitching me up.  All in all, I am lucky, being that I was so careless, that I got away with such an easy out.

It's a good reminder that the blades on a lot of tools are meant to cut material a lot tougher than our skin, so watch it!  This goes for all of us, even if we claim to have a tough skin!!

Matthew