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Last week while using my Toro blower to blow all the leaves and grass after a mowing marathon, the extension cord slipped half on and off the plug on the backside of the blower. This has happened before, and you quickly realize it because the smell of melting plastic will alert you right away.
I guess there was a strong breeze, because I didn't notice a thing and the sucker soddered itself on to the plug. I couldn't pull it out for nuffin!
This was at the end of a long day of yard work, so I figured I was just too tired to yank it off, so I put off the repair till this week.
I get up bright and early on Saturday, ready to tackle the yard again. Oops. I forgot about the soddered blower machine.
I tried to remove the cord again but try as a I might, I couldn't get the extension cord off the blower. Eventually, the blower plug yanked out of the back, ruining the blower. Ok, so I am sure I could pay an electrician 50 bucks to fix it..the cost of the blower.
It was off to the Homo Depot to buy a new blower and another 100 foot cord. Not going well.
I get back, mow, trim, and decide to hack back the Lantana that are taking over the Yaupon and the cactus. Time to bring out the scary hedge clippers!
I often have to use the hedge clippers on two rather large bushes at the end of the driveway that I have to keep small for my neighbor. If they get too big they block the view as my neighbors pull out of their driveway. Don't want an accident blamed on me and my bushes!
So I'm aggressively buzzing away at the Lantana, when ZIP, I cut through the brand new cord. No problem. Shit happens. I go get my electrical tape, strip the wire, and tape it all back together. 5 minutes later….ZIP…cut through again. Ok..shit..that sucks. Strip and tape it back together.
Now sweat is just dripping off of me from sitting there TWICE taping the cord back together. Salty drops dribbling into my eyes. I swing the hedge clippers around, and cut my thumb off.
Ok..so not the entire thumb. Just a mere flesh wound. Ouch Ouch Ouch. No..it hit bone.
I press the flesh back together, blood starting to seep out the corners.
I slowly make my way in to the house. I don't feel like I am going to faint, but it's always a possibility. Especially if I look at the wound as that giant piece of flesh flops around. Ohhhhhh.. getting woozy!
Times like these I wish there was someone around the house. No, it's ok. Not gonna faint. Hey. I'm tough! Pain's not so bad either. I wrap a kitchen towel around it.
My cell phone rings and it's JBB.
“Hey Bryan, what are you doing?”
“Have to call ya back, I just sliced my thumb pretty good.”
“Oh, Ok.” As if this was an everday occurence...and now I suspect it must be!
I clean it with peroxide and put some antibiotic creme on it. Bleeding stopped! Phew! No stitches.
No bandaids in the house either. So I wrap my thumb in the towel, and head back outside to finish the yard work.
My weed eater had run out of thread on it, so no way I was gonna be able to re-thread it one handed. It practically takes three hands normally to do it. So I just started sweeping up all the leaves and yard clippings while keeping the flesh all pushed together.
Eventually I decide that the towel was not cutting it. I headed over to People's Pharmacy where they also sell these really yummy fat-free brownies. I needed to replace valuable sugars after the blood letting ya know!
I buy gauze, tape, and these cool bandaids that melt into the wound. While checking out I see they are out of fat free brownies. All this while, I am gently cradling and babying my flesh wound.
“Dude, ur thumb looks terrible,” the check out guy says.
“Yeah. Hedge Clipper. Hey, looks like you are out of fat free brownies. You got any hidden in back?”
“Let me look. No. We got these other ones with walnuts. They're awesome.”
“Ok, cool. I deserve one of the naughty ones I guess. I didn't cry or faint when I did this.”
“Good Man! Brave little soldier. Let me pick out the biggest one for you.” he helpfully kidded.
I got out to my truck, taped my thumb back together, and consumed that giant brownie right then and there.
So I learned two things from this little adventure.
If you cut the cord twice. Give up. It's a sign.
Secondly, chocolate brownies DO make your owies feel better!
After my little drama with my thumb, JBB came over and we did some sewing. He was making some covers for his couches cuz his dogs are being messy. He saw this trick on a Home and Garden channel. We sewed pvc pipe into sheets so that you could push the pvc pipes into the cushions, helping the sheet to stay in place.
After our sewing adventure we went to a fundraiser for the Texas Gay Rodeo Association. It was held out in Westlake at a fabulous house on Lake Austin.
Parking was limited at the house, so we had to park at a local school and were picked up by a shuttle provided by the ride organizers. Here we are waiting to be picked up.
Yet another amazing house! I really gotta learn to network with these owners. Great photoshoot potential. Or I'v got win the lottery...maybe I should start playing it.
The house has a dock. People were enjoying the cool water, beckoning me to go in. "No!" I say! No icky water in my cut up thumb for me!
Cute guys canoeing too! Tempting me to get in. "No!" I say again!
On Sunday I got my bike back from its annual checkup. I've got 4,000 miles on the odometer! That means that's like I road back and forth twice to Denver, Colorado! Cool!
They swapped out my stem so my handlebars aren't so far out. Gettin' too old to bend over em. I got new handle bar tape, new chain, and a new backtire. The other one had like 150 miles on it…brand new and I sliced it up last Thursday…seems to be a theme with me this week.
So I was eager to get out and ride, thumb in the air.
After the ride, I headed over to Barbara's to help clean the place up. Got some photoshoots out there next week, and after the fiasco with Nathan the previous weekend, I want to make sure the place is as insect and snake free as possible.
I mowed the grass down again. The biggest task was to remove the giant pile of rotting lumber out of the barn/shed. I didn't bring my camera over and it was too dusty and icky to even contemplate it. So no pictures. But here is a shot of Nathan we took the previous weekend. That pile is deep! (almost three truckloads of it!)
We pulled my truck up to the barn and loaded it with all the wood. Two loads that we took around to another part of the property to let it rot out in the open...we decided we were making termite and snake habitat...just doing our part for the environment.
Millions of termites scurried across the wood, giving me the heebie jeebies. One 6-7 foot rat snake gave Barbara a startle before we identified it as a safe snake. We knew there would be snakes in the wood pile, but we had gotten through the entire thing before we found it.
I shoo'd it out the door with a stick. We found one other small snake, and after another load, the barn is no longer a safe harbor for critters.
I killed about 8 wasps nests, and likely will have to do a couple more mid-week. I spread some multi-insect killer all around, and a bag of fire ant killer. The place should be a lovely and lush looking Chernobyl!
We worked about five hours in the sun. We both were pretty tired. I was coated in wood, termites, ragweed dust, and dirt. My clothes were soaking wet.
I finally had to peel my band aid off. I figured I got insecticide in it. Barbara got some cleaning stuff from her hospital and nearly fainted as she poured peroxide over it.
Ok, so I am leaving you with this lovely picture of my thumb. I waited till the end to show ya!
Isn't it pretty!
Bryan's Phone Game!
Ya know how I have gone photo phone crazy? I can claim I have the best looking phone in all of Austin. I spent way too much time finding pics of all my friends and mailing them to my phone. Now when anyone calls, an appropriate photo shows up.
Ya think you're a long time fan? Well, test your knowledge of my extended family of friends and models?!?
Can you match the name with the face?
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Jason M.
Jerry Stevens
David C.
Alex
Mark Allen Cell
Dad
Matt
JBB
Jason H
Barbara
Nathan
Arron
Brandon
Bill Evans
Faith
Ethan
Gregg
Intoon Cell
Robert San Roman
Steve Henry
Andy
Mark Allen Home
Mark M.
Mark H.
Jonatan
Aaron
Ernest
Brett
Tony
LT
Jules
Dustin
Mom
Fred
Abel
Paul
Intoon Home
Elaine
Mark Maes
Nicole
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CYAIN7
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