All Cooped Up With a Broken Finger

The chicken coop is mostly finished. The chicks will be ready to go outside in a few weeks and they will sleep in their coop at night for protection against predators. We have seen possum in our neighborhood on a regular basis and at one time, several years ago, a raccoon walked down our street very nonchalantly. (Note: To see the original posts about our chickens, go here and here.)

Robert and I started working on the coop a few days ago. Right off the bat, I got myself into trouble. I had been sanding the coop with my "lady-friendly" cordless sander, a completely safe and efficient sander that even someone like me (kind of a klutz) can use. When I ran out of sanding pads, Robert said, "Well, let's go to the hardware store and pick up more." But, since it was just a suggestion, I opted instead to get out the big gun - the belt sander that had belonged to my dad, a very experienced finish carpenter and a man to boot. I've used the belt sander before, but only on very small projects with very little surface area to sand.

As I was sanding the chicken coop with this monster, I kept thinking, "This thing is too powerful for me. I really should put it down." But since I didn't listen to Robert, I wasn't about to listen to my own better judgment either. The thing just had so much pull on the large area I was sanding.

Anyway, I had pretty much finished, breathed a sigh of relief and took my finger off of the trigger switch. As I did that, somehow my left index finger got sucked up into the sander, between the belt and the back casing. It happened so fast, I didn't even feel it. When I realized what I had done, and that I could not get my finger out, I started yelling for help. Robert had just gone into the house for something. He came running out and then went back in the house for cooking oil.

As I worked to get my finger out of the sander, I just knew it was going to be impossible and thought we would probably have to call the paramedics for help. Then I said to the Lord, "Please, Lord, release my finger from this sander." No sooner had I prayed that and my finger was free. I still don't know quite what happened except God graciously made it happen.

That's when I started yelling again for Robert to tell him we didn't need any oil. He came running to my side carrying the peanut oil from the refrigerator which I found very humorous for some reason.

My finger was pretty torn up and was excruciatingly painful. So off we went to Kaiser. This was about noon on Wednesday - day before yesterday (June 17th). We had been at Kaiser in the morning for a pre-op appointment (I am having knee replacement surgery this month on the 29th).

We had only been home and working on the chicken coop for a short time after we had returned from that appointment. And we were scheduled for another pre-op appointment at 1:45 in the afternoon, that same day. As it worked out, we spent most all of the day there, sandwiching in the minor injury clinic x-rays and appointment between the two pre-ops and the x-rays I had to get for those. What a day!

As it turns out, my finger is fractured in several places above the first knuckle and pretty battered, but there is no damage that won't heal as good as new. But you should have seen me at Kaiser. Robert was pushing me in a wheel chair. I was wearing my knee brace, had my cane, my arm was in a sling and my finger was wrapped with gauze and tape. It was quite a sight.

One thing is for certain, however - I've used the belt sander for the last time. Give me my cute little lady-sander and if I run out of sanding pads, it's off to the hardware store for me, like I should have done in the first place at my husband's suggestion.

Nevertheless, we got the coop finished. Here are some pics of the project:

Here's the coop after it was put together by our son, Jeff and son-in-law, Curtis. Cute, but needs some finishing touches.

That's me. This was the day after my little accident. Notice my left finger in a splint and I'm using my cane (knee problems). I'm sanding the edges of a window we cut in the front - with my lady-sander.

Robert, hard at work on the chicken coop. He really was, but stopped to pose. What a ham!!!


The finished product - almost. We still have to put a corrugated metal roof on the top. There is wire in the window to keep unwanted visitors out.



All chicks welcome. But NO ROOSTERS ALLOWED!


This is what we will have is a few months, Lord willing. But there's no way the extras will sell for that price!