Gardening is not for wimps!

9 years ago

It's been one of those days! I started by trimming off some suckers from my yucca. One of the leaves got me and sliced my arm. (Hey - where is all that blood coming from?)

So I moved on to pulling weeds and got nailed by agaves - twice! (More blood) They jumped right out and poked me! I had to remove a broken tip from my left arm - which is starting to look rather battle worn!

I go back out and notice a couple of aloes that needed the spent inflorescence removed. For some reason, a bee took exception to this and she nailed me on the hand. I haven't been stung in years! Lucky for me - I AM the Benadryl Gel Queen.

At last I come to the easiest task - watering my gardenias. I have one of those hoses that collapse. It burst. I backpeddled to avoid the gusher - and tripped on a concrete parking bumper on our driveway. (I have NO idea why we have that thing!) Of course I fell!! I landed on my tush on the driveway, which was insulting enough. (I first looked to see if any neighbors saw me!) One hand hurt and my other elbow (left, of course) was skinned so I must have hit those, too, but at least nothing felt broken!

Feeling like I had been rode hard and put up wet, I promptly fixed myself a big rum and coke and ate some Advil. My arm started hurting so I decided to apply ice and drink another rum and coke. Well now, a few hours later, I can't grip with that hand, can't even turn a door knob or (horrors!) twist the cap of the rum bottle!

I think it's a sprained wrist - not the rum! Really! I don't want to go to urgent care with rum breath and explain to them how I fell hard because my hose burst. I am not a fireman!

Darn - this was supposed to be a relatively easy day gardening! LOL

I really get tired of being such a klutz!
Safe gardening, everyone!

Featured Answer

hijole

9 years ago

Well add me to the list, today while moving a golden barrel in a rather large pot my forearm bumped into the golden barrel, I looked at my arm which immediately puffed up ( No pain ) I pressed down on the bump and it went down & it stayed down too. At first I thought OH BOY! But since it didn't even bleed I continued thank God it looks fine :)

Agreed though, gardening is not for wimps.

One thing for sure is that we all know the potential for getting poked & stapped but just like any addict we think we can quit any time we want lol at least for the day :) that's what I did at least once I finished my project.

Crenda, you sure all this didn't happen after the rum & coke, it sounds like it after recounting your events.

Greg

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Comments (15)

jojosplants
9 years ago
OMG! You have had a rough day! And I thought I had it bad with our 106 high today! Lol . You sure earned the Rum and coke! :-). Hope all heals fast and you get some well deserved rest! Oh.. I had one of those hoses explode on me last summer! So your not alone on that:-)
Crenda 10A SW FL
Original Author
9 years ago
The hose exploding was more of a shock than a disaster. So what if I get wet? I wish I hadn't jumped back so fast.

My friends think my first aid supplies are for hurricane season. They are actually for my everyday klutz moves! I'm better stocked than some team trainers. Unfortunately, I have used most of my stuff. LOL
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jojosplants
9 years ago
Lol! I've been known to back into my saguaro !
Microthrix
9 years ago
I was reorganizing some potted plants, and backed my butt up right into an opuntia. My butt is covered with a bunch of tinny spines now, but thats not nearly as bad as your day! Lol, no one understands how hard cactus gardening is.
jojosplants
9 years ago
Ouch!

I'm in Tucson! They grow like weeds around here! Many a day I've grabbed weeds only to find there was a baby cactus hiding in them . lol...

My current hose has about 15 holes in it no thanks to my golden barrels. lol
Crenda 10A SW FL
Original Author
9 years ago
Ouch! Those tiny spines are no fun, either!

When we moved here the property had about 20 crown of thorns. Hubby dug up almost all of them! When I told him about my day and he said "at least you didn't land on the COT." NOW I know why he was getting rid of them! (A couple defied his effort and I am tending them.)
Deeby
9 years ago
Gee, Crenda, and here I've been feeling sorry for myself all day because at the car wash my driver door mirror got torn off !
When that well deserved rum and Coke wears off see a doctor-that's just too many wounds not to.
wantonamara Z8 CenTex
9 years ago
I feel for you, what a rough day! In March, I put out my hand to stop a falling oreocereus trollii while moving plants due to a cold front rolling in. I was totally empaled about three times. One week later I developed a huge abscess in my palm at the base of the thumb and a fever.. $268 of doctor bills and high end STRONG antibiotics.
kathi_mdgd
9 years ago
Oh you poor thing!!Didn't all that want to make you go back to bed,then get up and start all over??

I have found that one important thing to have in your first aid kit is a roll of duct tape.I discovered this after dropping a peanut cactus one day as I was trying to move it.It fell right onto my left arm,which immediately started turning red and stinging.I grabbed a roll of duct tape and proceeded to tape and pull off.It worked wonders.

I hope you'll be ok,but get to the urgent care if problems arise.

Feel better,and be careful.
Kathi
marguerite_gw Zone 9a
9 years ago
Ice, for your poor hand, not to kill the cacti.
Crenda 10A SW FL
Original Author
9 years ago
Kathi - someone tipped me off about the duct tape. What a great invention! And I've probably never used it on a duct!

An evening of ice-heat treatments did wonders. This morning my wrist looks normal and I can grip and rotate my hand. My pokes and slices all look good - no redness at the moment. Luckily, I am not allergic to bees, either.

I think I'll read a book today . . . and probably get a paper cut!
LOL
jojosplants
9 years ago
learn to crochet. lol
notolover
9 years ago
WOW!! But our love for our spiney babies makes us press on.

I was pulling weeds and got a dead Opuntia imbricata segment lodged deep in my finger the other day. I should know better than to weed where I can't see. There could have been a snake lurking there so I guess I'm lucky it was only a cactus spine.

I'm still convinced I have a spine from another time stuck up in my finger because my nail is all screwed up, but x-rays say no. My biggest fear is falling into my Opuntia bed because I'm also a klutz.

Next time I'll have to remember the rum and coke remedy. :-)
aztcqn
9 years ago
Oh NO!!! That is a seriously rough day! You're right. Not for wimps. When I'm not getting dive-bombed by mosquitos, I'm dodging black widows and large black green-eyed jumpers that pop up in pots when I'm checking my plants. Sometimes, I think gardening should require hazard pay.

Another hazard is Mom. Yesterday this cute, sweet 85 yr old went to town on my calandrinias. I gave her a pruner to help cut up tree branches, but, turned my back and before I knew it she kept on going over the succulent! Said it was too hairy. :[
Where I had one, I now have 6-7 "new" plants. I call her the human termite. Lol.

Hope your arm is okay and mends, soon. And yes, get that drink, reaffirm that gardening determination we all share and get out there againÃ¢ÂÂ¦Ã¢ÂÂ¦ah, more carefully. :]

Gardening is not for wimps!

hijole

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Gardening is not for wimps!

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