BilletHead

How about this Ronnie next trip to the metropolis of Springfield I will get ahold of you and we will discuss this, Thanks.

Thanks John, We appreciate that. For the first time I put some on Facebook marketplace for sale. Really did not have a bite for a purchase. Was a bit surprised. @curtisce seen it and said to keep a jar for him. I don't feel right about selling to friends and he will just get a jar like the rest. My sisters get a jar each for Christmas and one wants to buy a couple. I told her no and she got kind of loud like Those are going for Christmas presents and I will buy them. Whatever. I am not off on my pricing. Honey is sold by the pound and comes in pound sized jars from most. I am using pint jars, and they hold a pound and a quarter to a pound and a half net weight depending on how quick I turned off the gate valve while filling. Like JD once said a hobby beekeeper will probably never get his investment back. I'm just wanting to make a little dent in mine. 🤣 One thing about it I have enjoyed working with bees and giving them homes.

Ha I use the term spit 😜.

So are Asian jumping worms and we have them now around here. Invasive jumping worms can change their world | US Forest Service

Thanks Keith, This post was to jog our memories to think twice just as you did. I am to the point now I think three to four times now.

@ness he can answer your question.

Next surgeon appointment, Physical therapy and beyond, Let's get this wrapped up. Back to Springfield where I was told everything is progressing well. How would you like to take this thing off and try moving the finger? Heck yes! off it came and ok show me what you have. Not much with all the time of non-use I could not even curl my un effected fingers to touch my palm. Don't get discouraged it will get better. Where do you live from here. I told her. We really want you to see a hand PT specialist. There is nobody really close. Oh, there might be one in Carthage a couple days a week. Do what she says and only what she says in your rehab. We will see you in another three weeks. So got appointment for 7AM on a Monday morning. Showed up and met Marie. She said sit right there and take off the brace. I did. She said to continue wearing it especially if you are doing something where you might fall or otherwise make a move and bend that finger beyond where it moves easily today. Off at night or doing nothing at home. What good news. Now tell me what you did and what all has been done so far, que Alices Restaurant. I did and next thing was she gets out some coco butter. Starts massaging back of my hand and along the index finger. You see this tight skin? We need to get it stretched out and pliable again. It was tight like an old TV or movie star that has had too much botox to remove wrinkles. finger the same with swelling and tingly touching it. You also need to start working that swelling and fluid towards the hand by sweeping it tightly with fingers like waves towards the hand. Show me you can do that. i did. Do this several times a day, ok got that. Then let me see what you can now do which I did. She took a fancy protractor on each finger and wrote it down. This is our baseline. What do you like to do and what do you want to come out of this like? Hey, you are going to get 110 percent out of me and I' want to be back to normal. You have no idea what time of the year it is and what I like to do. Told her my limitations spine wise with back surgeries. I am still as active as I can be because of that. Ok then we will see how far you can get, might not be what you were but we will try. Washed my hands and she put my arm in a big box that blows finely ground corn, and it massages my hand relacing it. This thing about put me to sleep. Timer went off she brushed the dust away and took out a paper of hand exorcizes. Showed me how on each one. Do this three times daily or more if you feel like it but three times for sure. see you in a week same time. I did just as she said and more. I would wake up at night and do a round at night laying there. Next week she measured again. Oh, is see significant improvement. Keep doing this and this other page of stuff including using a wad of silly putty and rubber bands. So now there will be strengthening involved. Showed me how and see you in a week. By this time, I had thrown the brace in the trash. Done with that darned piece of crap. I was now making a fist but took me three stretches then pretty tight. Skin doing better too. Seen her in a week again. She says Marty I do not need to see you anymore you have done beyond what asked for. Your doctor will be impressed because I certainly am. Keep doing everything you are shown until you next visit with Dr which was coming up soon. So back to Springfield. Ok surgeon said let's see what you have and where is your brace. I said in the dump by now i suppose she laughed. I did my thing, and she said you are a rock star, I said no young lady you are the rock star thank you. I was sure hoping you would get that fist back and you did. You have listened and done what was expected of you. I told her you get what you work for. She said you will have that swelling for at least another year, but it will get back almost normal. The deadness in your finger will get better and might not go totally away but that will not affect function. I thanked her again and We were happy. Amazed to say the least stupid mistake but I was once again blessed with the outcome. god takes care of children and fools. You all know the category I fall into. This is how I am today. Amazing those tendons were put back together and healed the way they did. Note arthritis will settle in and cold weather will affect me some but that is yet to be seen. Story over and thanks for reading.

Chapter three, Three weeks checkup. The cast was unwrapped and removed. I was taken back at what I was looking at. First off, I thought what was covered for three weeks would be wrinkled and stinky, NOPE, Just a typical old man hand with sun beat skin, still swelled and tingle in the index finger. Wow. Needed x rays. Just keep your hand flat on the table here and they will call you. DO not move the index finger. I said can I test it just a tiny bit? Yes just try to lift that finger barely off the table. I did and it moved. Thats enough do not move that finger any more. Get the x rays and I will be back. You most certainly don't want to undo what I have done there is much more healing to do. Taken back for x rays. Do this do that this angle that angle palm up palm down and side view. The tec said there are some not so good views you need to move that finger this way and that way. I WILL NOT. OOh she got upset. I told her what the surgeon said. She left and came back. OK lets adjust this way and that way but I did not move that finger . Doctor checked everything out, looking good now go to physical therapy to be fitted with a hand cast. It will keep the index finger stable. You can move the rest of the fingers and the end joint of the index finger. Take it off for bathing and right back on. See you in another three weeks which ended up four because they forgot to write me down. :(. Went back to PT where a guy that took some plastic and heated it up. Reminded me of kydex. He worked with it and made a shape that fit my palm and with a thumb hole. Velcro kept it on. Of course, he asked what I had done and what was done in detail. It reminded me of Alices Restaurant as I told him the story. Showed him the picture and he wanted to share it with every other PT person and there was a bunch of questions. Gave me some cloth pieces that fit in wear points against the skin. I wore them out quickly and made more. That brace rubbed hot spots on the wear points. BUT I could start moving places. Shaving and daily tasks came more easily. In fact, I tied some fly's and other things in the shop. Even instructed Pat letting her cut some boards she wanted on the table saw with my assistance. A couple weeks into this I just had toi try something, 1000005399.mp4 Pretty cool friends! Can you tell I was happy? Awkward but hey things are looking up. This got Pat fired up. I want to go fishing. I got to thinking and went over to the carport and climbed up into the jet boat. Tried to squeeze the throttle and Engauge forward and reverse. Again, awkward but it worked. Told her we have a place the Hybrid will be ambushing at daylight in a pinch point. I will take you and be the net man. You catch dinner. Next morning we were there launching before daybreak. Spinning rods in hand this trip. Dropped anchor. I needed help lifting it when moving. First cast bam one caught second cast another. Then three break offs. Next cast another. We are done but you know I have to try. Yep, as awkward as it was, I got my three. This was nothing but a wear you out meat trip, but we got our fix and good eats. I think I did a report on there if you want to look it up. My mood was really getting much better at this point. Was really close to the next Doctor visit and I was so ready. Next chapter will be that and physical therapy and we will wrap this story up. I'm really not flipping you all off. It's the hand braces fault.

I am now beginning to feel like I am in good company. Thanks @nomolites.

Chapter two surgery, Up early the next morning the 3rd of July we were on the road to Mercy orthopedics surgery center. Things progressed quickly into a room and beginning to be prepped. three different Nurses in and out plus the anesthesiologist. I asked are you going to fully put me out for this, yes, I am telling you man you don't want to be awake for this. Chatting with the bevy of nurses in the room they asked what I had done. I told them and said pretty dumb move on my part. Oh, this is nothing and stuff happens. That is when stories of what they have seen come through there. Self-inflicted injuries to the max. Chain saws, skill saws, table saws and one of the worst reciprocal saws. Lost fingers, hands and even worse. I felt a bit less stupid. They brought up getting ready for the 4th of July surge. Talk about stupid moves this holiday gets crazy. Fingers and hands blown off oh my. One of the ladies comes in with a little container of dark brown thick stuff with a swab in it. She said you are not going to like this. I have to swab your nose. This is a thick betadine it's going to feel nasty. Why my nose I asked? Studies have found after years of looking that flesh eating bacteria lives in the nose. I asked can you keep it out of my mustache? I sure can! My surgeon came in to talk to us about what was going on, Dr. Victoria Kubik. From the morning start in here I heard great things about who was going to do this surgery we both felt like I was going to be in good hands. Two more antibiotics were put into my IV. Then something else that began to make me drowsy. That was the last I remembered until coming to post op. Coming out of la, la land a voice saying Marty, Marty I'm the nurse that will be sitting with you as you come out of anesthesia what is your pain level? A solid 10 i slurred. Ok I will give you something that will help. She did that twice and it became bearable. My hand was wrapped in a brace castile from elbow to fingertips really tight. Back to room with Pat I dozed on and off. I was given a script for pain killers that Pat already picked up. Told to take one right away and as needed following the directions. Pat told me the surgeon had been in to see her. Told her everything went well. Marty would probably not be able to make a tight fist after this. We were released to go home with another appointment in three weeks. Don't move anything at all in that hand. I did take that first pain killer and that was all. I slept well. Next morning looked in the mirror. Man, I need to shave. Looking pretty tough. I am right-handed and lost using the left hand. I tried oof this is not going to work. Asked Pat for help. Now she is great shaving my head but never attempted my face. Head dome and face lathered up she started. She went at it like a crazy woman, I will admit I was pretty scared and rightly so. I told her this isn't like you shaving your legs slow down and be careful. This ticked her off and it got done but I'm going to have to learn to be a south paw. Not supposed to get the cast wet. Shower or bathe as you normally would. Another joke I don't care how many plastic bags you layer and tape and rubber bands you use water seeps in. I then googled up how to train the right side of your brain to use the left arm and hand. Oh my goodness there is a lot of info out there, but the left side was so stubborn it would not let the right take over. What a nightmare. No fun at all but I made do. A few days later I was feeling froggy and told Pat I was going to the shop. Just what are you going to do? Clean up the flesh and blood off the band saw. I did and thought I need to get right back on the horse after getting bucked off. Went back to the house and told her I was going to bandsaw that little part off of the bowl blank. I really got the stink eye, and I am going out to supervise you. On the floor below as the blood drips from the crash from the deed I flipped the saw on. More stink eye from Pat. It was awkward but I got it taken off and won that battle! Got to be tuff when you're stupid as my friend Brad tells me all the time. I then took the tension off the blade and told myself it will be changed before I use it again and rolled it back to its resting spot. A few days after this I mounted the blank on the lathe and did some turning on that blank. Awkward but it worked. For the rest of this time, I was a leftie for everything. could not even begin to tell you how many times I could miss my big mouth with the fork and spoon and run it into my cheek. Tried to learn how to write. Looked like a doctor's signature scribble. Tackled another project or should I say Pat did. We wanted to change out our power center in the camper. One that would charge lithium battery. I got to be the boss and Pat the grunt for doing that. Hard to get to place with little room to work. It took us awhile, but Pat became the electrician and got it done! It was a loooooong three weeks. Chapter three next.

I tried to tell you. Deep down inside I was pretty sure most everyone would look, heck I would have. Like I said there will be no more of this type of picture.

Wow owchee.

I will put it this way right now. You all seen the only graphic picture.

You know Mr. Pitt I had a hard time even tolerating it myself for quite some time and it is on my phone. Time was a good healer. No more pictures like that will follow on other chapters. Humor will be though. Humbling experience through all of this.

Yea it was a bad deal.

Be careful Daryk get this done and Wrench will try to talk you into working in his shop!

Sharing something I did to myself with a wood bandsaw. From injury through where I am now. Things can go wrong quickly, and I want to share this to make everyone think twice or even three times before you do anything. I want to come clean to all that read this. A few of you on the forums know about this. I actually began to find humor pretty quickly as soon as hitting the emergency room. I still smile thinking about all this even now. It's been a journey and kind of messed up a good portion of the summer. This might be a couple chapters or more. I can only type so long before my fingers start to complain. So here we go and one more warning with the damage picture. Yes, moderators I secured permission to share the photo. July 2nd it was hot and humid I decided to go to the shop and work on cutting a blank for making a bowl on the wood lathe. The log section was already prepared, and I had basically a four-inch-thick piece of wood about five inches plus or minus that had been cut with a chainsaw. Rough and not so straight on the faces (flat sides). I took a compass and made the biggest circle on the biggest face. Remember this is one half of a log section so there is some curvature on the sides. Next set up the bandsaw and tightened the blade for tension. Turned on the saw and began to cut the blank round. Was doing really well until the final cut trimming off one last cut. For some reason I decided to trim this cut on the inside of the blade. You always cut with your hands on the outside of the blade so that anything that happens you are in the clear. Lesson number one! My blade was getting pretty dull Lesson number two! My bowl blank was somewhat wobbly because of the chainsaw cut. Lesson number three! As I was trimming the last cut with the dull blade with the wobbly slab on the inside of the blade it wobbled and caught the blank and cut out and the back of my right hand went into the blade. There was a thump that actually stopped the blade for a millisecond that flickered the lights. Instantly I thought oh crap. I pulled back and looked at the back of my hand that was a mess. Hardly bleeding with a gaping hole. I shut the saw off with left hand and looked again at my right hand. Seeing the knuckle bone and drooping index finger. Then I said a bad word and headed for the house loudly saying Pat I need a towel, said this again as I was heading to the door. Little did I know she was sitting on the back porch reading. What did you do she said? Cut myself up pretty bad I need a towel, let me see and I said not now please. As she gave me the towel, I covered it quickly so she could not see what I had done. I told her to lock up and let's go to the hospital, not to our local hospital but to the closest big one, Joplin came to mind. Off we went South down I49. As we went, I just used direct pressure not looking at the hand at all. Call back from DR Russell you need to go to KC or Springfield you need a hand surgeon. I told her where we were and quickly, she said Springfield Cox. I said what about Mercy. She responded you better be darned sure they have a hand surgeon on call. Ok with her then saying you let me know! I googled up Mercy emergency room and called. A lady answered and how can I help you? I asked if they had a hand surgeon on call, yes, the best. I told her the deal, she asked if I was driving myself, nope wife is. How far are you away, about 30 to 35 minutes out. Please get here as soon as you can safely, and we will be waiting for you. Pat did just that speeding only to keep up with the traffic on I44 at 80mph. Finally, we got to the emergency entrance and Pat stopped. I told her just find a spot in the parking lot and I will walk up to the door. Inside the big sliding double doors was a room full of people looking at us like a bunch of owls on a tree branch. I stood back as Pat went to the reception desk taking out my insurance cards out of my wallet. Another person came over and asked if I was the one who called ahead, yes that was me and five people came out and the first one said let me see it. The lady at the desk told Pat at the same time we can take care of this later. So, I removed the towel, and this was the first time Pat seen the carnage and out of her mouth came a Oh (fill in the blank). The young man that wanted to see it said oh that's Awesome I looked at him like what and he said we like to see things like this. Let's us learn and treat you. You will hear that from many people today. The others all took a look. Then one said hand laceration involving an open fracture. Need to get him back now, about that time a wheelchair hit me in the back of my legs and off I went to the back onto a gurney and parked in the hall outside the nurse's station. Noisy place with workers scurrying here and there, police bringing in handcuffed people. Well-oiled chaos was my first thought. My hand was put on a portable table for all to see. Someone came over and she and Pat talked about registration. I was then taken for X-rays. then back and finally an ER doctor came to see the hand. Left and came back to tell me I would have surgery at the Mercy orthopedic hospital the next morning then left. Next thing here comes a young lady, she introduces herself as a physician assistant in training. Then I will be setting you up with an IV. She left for a minute and came back. I will be doing this but have never done this before on a person. One of the nurses will be here to help me do you mind if I do this? I said don't mind at all and in the back of my mind I thought what could go wrong I'm in an ER (humor starting now). I told her you have to learn. Nurse shows up and trainee did really good. Another nurse gets the fluid running and said this is one of three antibiotics you will be getting before you leave. Another like in forever time passing someone would check on me. I would ask may I have something to drink like in water? We will ask and no water came. A male Physician assistant brought another rolling cart over. Introduced himself and told us what was next. I am going to clean this wound out and temporary close up the wound loosely with stiches. It will not look pretty it is just for the night. I am going to first off deaden the area. I think I will just be pouring in some lidocaine first then injecting some in the surrounding area. Ok then and he did just that and it was like liquid cold lava and boy did it burn that gaping hole was overflowing with lidocaine ouch. He dabbed up the extra and then the needle was like bee stings. Ouchee again. Up until this point including the band saw incident there was no pain involved, none, nodda ,nothing. After deadening he began to stitch while doing this here came the young lady physician assistant again and the guy said she will be watching. Pretty soon she asked can I do some? Yes he said finish up and I will watch you. She looks at me and yes, she said I have never done this on a person before do you mind? I said go right ahead I feel fine about contributing to your future. Again, she did excellent. She finished up and told us she normally worked in the ER pediatric part. I would much rather work on children or even women. I think I would like to specialize in pediatrics or OB. I asked why and she said men are mean. In the ER they come in drunk or high on drugs. They cuss and are mean. I said was I mean? Oh no you are an exception I told her thanks. IV Removed and discharged papers with instructions given. Home we went for a short night and back tomorrow for surgery. Are you ready for this? Picture from ER. Last warning. Hard to see but in that knuckle, there is cut bone, Maybe tomorrow chapter two Surgery

Yes, and thanks Rick for doing what you did serving. Too all of the vets we know and those we don't thank you so much from Pat and me.

Great report Ollie and thanks for sharing. Really good to see you overcame the inclement weather with that nice day.

@Boej speak up you have questions to be answered.

Really good eats, A couple of the St. Louis area guys on here got us started a few years back. Need a fix now and again. AMAZON!

Livie has good taste!

A friend sent this and said it was Meramec sprigs trout Park.

Well 18 squirrel were canned yesterday in half pints. Had a problem getting a cut up big old Fox squirrel in that sized jar. Will rethink that deal and go with pints or larger jars next time. Another deal, we have a couple different canners. I found this one at a garage sale this summer. First time using on with a pressure gauge. It still uses the weight but I liked just adjusting the burner for adjusting the pressure. We had two jars that didn't seal. Not a problem just put in fridge and eat within a few days. This one was easy to pick and really tasty. We didn't add any salt and some canning books said to put a little in. We thought that the addition of chicken broth would make it too salty. Nope needs just a bit. Some of you are going to find this humorous and silly. I say look at the contents label on what you eat that is processed and bought commercially. We are eating good in the BilletHood.