I shot a nail through my finger

The basement foundation repair job has claimed its first casualty: Me. During the work week, I occasionally get a few hours in the evening to labor in the basement. Tonight I was planning to make a form and pour concrete for the last footer before I can put in retaining walls and seal up the basement.

I hit a jackpot by finding three 2x12 scraps about 20 feet long by the side of the road and chopped them up into pieces for my forms. I was nailing the forms together when ***POW*** my finger started hurting severely. It only took about a quarter of a second to realize that I'd nailed my finger but I was in denial.

I grabbed my poor finger and squeezed it hard. It bled freely, which is always a good sign for me - gotta get it clean. About 30 seconds later it hit me: That nail right there had gone through my finger. Here is the entry wound and there is the exit wound. The next 20 minutes went like this:

Oh man I gotta sit down.

No, I need to sit on the ground cuz I feel really woozy.

Holy shit this finger really hurts.

Let me finish those last two nails on the form. POW POW.

Maybe I need to go inside. The nurse-wife will help me.

Man this chair is painful but oh my god this finger hurts like shit.

I think I'm gonna puke.

I'm passing out.

Did someone turn out the lights?

Can I get some supplemental oxygen?

Yeah, thanks for the trash can. I think I might puke.

Oh, I'm drenched in sweat. I haven't passed out, right?

Okay I'll go to the hospital but I can't move right now cuz I'm going to pass out and puke if I stand up.

I don't doubt I look yellow. I feel horrible.

Yeah, okay call 911 to ask them. But put me on the ground first in case I fall out of this chair.

And then it slowly got better. Of course 911 said to go to the hospital since I had severe shock, but we didn't. I stopped feeling like I was going to puke. The lights came back on in my head, I got myself together. The finger still really really hurt, but I could bend it and had a lot of strength in it, so don't think it's broken or any ligaments are severed. I probably lost about a quarter-teaspoon blood - classic double puncture wound.

I'm all better now, I feel fine except the finger hurts. We called a friend who is in his last year of med school to be an emergency room physician to ask him what all those shock symptoms were about and he explained that the body can put itself into severe shock via a psychosomatic response based on the cognitive understand that, "Yes I just put a nail clean through my finger." That's all it was, but I really did go as far into shock as you can get without passing out. My lips were white, my skin was numb all over, I couldn't see and could hardly hear, I had that horrible ringing in my head. Phew.

I'll go get a tetanus shot tomorrow just to be safe, but my finger is a-okay. The lion helped me put antibiotic cream on the two wounds along with a gauze bandage and some tape. She very well may end up being a veterinarian like she claims.

Wednesday potluck: hearty split pea soup

Anyone can make split pea soup and it's generally boring. Well I don't spice mine up too much, but here's tonight's version:

• half an onion
• bacon ends & pieces
• some pepper
• few bay leaves
• thyme
• basil
• dry mustard

Saute until bacon is done. Add:

• 2-3 quarts water
• one fat bullion cube
• 16 oz dried split peas
• 2-3 smallish potatoes
• half-cup basmati rice
• 2 carrots
• crushed garlic

Cook until the peas turn to mush. Garnish with:

• fresh tomatoes
• toasted sesame oil
• red wine vinegar

We ate it with a salad. Two regulars came over so it was enjoyable. The lion sprinkled Cheddar Bunnies in everyone's salad and soup while eating grape nuts. That girl survives on cereal some days. Just like her mama.

A step in the right direction: New Country School in Henderson, Minn.

This is an interesting school, an interesting approach. I don't think the idea of one open room is very good. What kind of real-world environment does that simulate? I certainly wouldn't be able to work in that environment. I attended a project-based high school for my junior and senior years which sound similar to this high school, but these types of initiatives aren't perfect because they're using a new type of institutionalized school to solve problems that old types of institutionalized school have. Why not ditch the standardized tests? Why not ditch the grades? Why not ditch the state curriculum requirements? But, this isn't a time for negatives. Bravo, Le Sueur-Henderson school district. And remind me again why you can't fairly compare the results of this school to the entire district? Admittedly, this is a charter school, but why can't all schools be charter schools? Of a family decides that the child will attend public school, why shouldn't students get to pick the type and location of school they wish to attend?

Wednesday potluck: warm French lentil salad

This week was warm French lentil salad with lemons and walnuts from Moosewood's Simple Suppers. I thought it was going to be fennel overload (of which I'm not too big a fan) since it had fennel bulb and ground fennel seeds, but it was hardly noticeable once cooked down. I swapped red leafy lettuce in as a replacement for a head of escarole. The meal was delish, the lion ate a bit of lentils and some salad, but the company was a bust (first time since we've started this thing, I should add). Starfish is on 24-hour call at OHSU so it was just the two of us. We added sourdough bread and I squeezed on some goat cheese which we both enjoyed immensely. Hmm, what should next week's theme be?

Plotting new chicken purchase

For the third entry in my introductory series, here's an urban farming post.

After our beloved chickens were chased into chicken heaven by a neighborhood raccoon, I knew we'd get some more, and now I'm trying to figure out what kinds. Murray McMurray has an amazing selection, including assortments. We're in it for the eggs (not meat) but like the purty chickens with fluffy feet and crazy patterns.

Sir Ken Robinson at TED 2006 talking about creativity

For number two in the intro series, here is an amazing talk about creativity and education. I have a friend who is incredibly creative, a big dreamer and completely unafraid of failure. He's notorious for saying the wrong things and going down dead end paths. But his creativity and attitude is an inspiration for all who work around him.

Foundation work

This is the first of three posts covering the three topics of this blog: 1) home repair, 2) unschooling/education theory 3) urban farming.

When we bought our house two-and-a-half years ago, it was in serious need of a foundation. It had a crumbling series of piers (concrete and brick footings) and posts (6x6 wood), many of which were bearing no weight due to rotting wood or concrete or sloping dirt underneath. We immediately repaired 1/4 of the house's foundation - that to install the bamboo floor in the living room. I've been working on the other side of the house for the past couple months. Doing this kind of foundation work isn't difficult, but it's a quite laborious. The back deck was torn off to allow room for the Bobcat to get in and out of the garage. I've got all the south wall footings poured and I'm moving onto the middle beam's footings now. Got me a concrete mixer from craigslist, which makes the job nicer, if not any faster. Foundation pics here.