Putting my finger on the problem; or, minor misadventures in gardening and first aid

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By Matthew E. Milliken
MEMwrites.wordpress.com
March 27, 2023

Some problems work themselves out over time. Others don’t.

A few weeks ago, I grabbed a rake that the previous occupants of my residence had left behind. I used it to scrape up some dirt, which I deposited in my compost bin.

This rake is an old one — possibly almost as old as me. The metal part at the bottom — the business end of this yard implement — is rusted. The long wooden handle is slowly disintegrating.

However, I didn’t notice a problem until later that day, when the middle finger of my right hand started to bother me. I looked at it and immediately saw a thick wooden splinter. It had lodged itself in the front side of the finger, just above the proximal interphalangeal joint (the second joint from the top). The skin around the foreign object was red.