Tough Stuff

 "Do you happen to have any bandages?"

Those are words that often send a chill to my heart.  This time, they were spoken by Young Jacob, friend of both #1 and #2 Son and co-worker of Sweetie.  He is part of maintenance staff.

What happened?, i asked, turning to see him holding up the little finger of his right hand, and i headed for the cabinet and pulled down the first aid kit.

"I was using a sledgehammer to beat out a dent in my car, and I broke the sledgehammer and my hand kept going and hit the car and the finger split open."

That's going to need more than a bandage, i told him.

"Nah, I turned the hose on it when it happened, and rinsed it out.  You can see to the bone, it really opened up, but all it needs is to be bandaged."

Are you sure?  It looks bad to me, i really think you need to have it stitched.

Little Girl walked in at this point and began pulling the stuff out of the first aid kit i had pulled from the cabinet.  Young Jacob didn't answer, and i knew it was no use, so i made sure he slathered it with Neosporin.

You do need to keep a close eye on that, i told him, you don't want an infection that could lead you to lose the use of your finger, or worse.

"No, I sure wouldn't want that, it would be bad -- I need that finger to play my sax!"

Really, i do know he didn't want to go to a doctor and get it sewn closed because he can't afford it.  But it has reminded me, some of these kids are made of some pretty tough stuff.


Today is

Anniversary of the 3rd Druk Gyalpo -- Bhutan

Baby Day -- birth anniversary of Dr. Spock

Badminton Horse Trials -- Badminton, Gloucestershire, England (international horse trials of show jumping, cross-country, and dressage; through Monday)

Brothers and Sisters Day/Sibling Appreciation Day -- an internet generated holiday, not to be confused with National Siblings Day on April 10 each year

Day of Osiris going forth from his mountain -- Ancient Egyptian Calendar (date approximate)

Door-Banging and Window-Tapping Conference -- Fairy Calendar (Gremlins)

Festa Del Serpari -- Cocullo, Italy (The Procession of the Snake Catchers, in honor of the city's patron, St. Dominick, whom they believed could cure snakebite)

Festival of Matsu/Mazu -- Southern China and Taiwan (Taoist goddess of the sea who protects fishermen and sailors; often worshiped in sea-faring areas surrounding China as well)

Festival of Nations -- St. Paul, MN, US (cultural exhibits, food, dance, and folk art from 90 ethnic groups in a celebration held each year since 1932; through Sunday)

Flag Day -- Poland

Holiday of the Region of Madrid -- Madrid, Spain

International Scurvy Awareness Day -- because yes, some people do still get this disease of Vitamin C deficiency; www.limestrong.com

Kansas Barbed Wire Swap/Sell -- La Crosse, Kansas (held by the Barbed Wire Collectors Association, and no, i'm not making that up! through Saturday)

King James's Day -- marking the publication in 1611 of the King James Version of the Bible

Make-a-Book Day -- the Thursday of Family Reading Week

Martin Z. Mollusk Day -- Ocean City, NJ (if the hermit crab sees his shadow, summer comes a week early)

National Day of Prayer -- US / Interfaith

National Day of Reason -- US Humanist alternative to the National Day of Prayer

National Education Day -- Indonesia

National Play Your Ukulele Day -- just because it's fun!

National Truffles Day

Richmond Mushroom Festival -- Richmond, MO, US (arts and crafts, carnival, barbecue contest, bike and car show, bands, and stage shows, all to celebrate the fun fungus; through Sunday)

Roberts Rules of Order Day -- birth anniversary of Henry M. Robert, author of the standard parliamentary guide Robert's Rules of Order

Rowdy Friends Day -- go look up the ones you haven't seen in a while

St. Athanasius the Great's Day

St. Zoe's Day

Teacher's Day -- Bhutan; Iran

Twelfth Day of Ridvan -- Baha'i



Birthdays Today:

David Beckham, 1975
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, 1972
Lesley Gore, 1946
Bianca Jagger, 1945
Engelbert Humperdinck, 1936
Roscoe Lee Browne, 1925
Theodore Bikel, 1924
Dr. Benjamin Spock, 1903
Baron Von Richthofen, 1892
Hedda Hopper, 1885
Henry M. Robert, 1837 (author of those Rules of Order we celebrate today)


Today in History:

Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, is arrested and imprisoned on charges of adultery, incest, treason and witchcraft, 1536
John Knox returns from exile to Scotland  to become the leader of the beginning Scottish Reformation, 1559
Mary, Queen of Scots, escapes from Loch Leven Castle, 1568
The King James Bible is published for the first time in London, England, by printer Robert Barker, 1611
King Charles II of England grants a permanent charter to the Hudson's Bay Company to open up the fur trade in North America, 1670
William Herschel discovers 1st binary star, Xi Ursae Majoris, 1780
Charles Fremantle founds the Swan River Colony in Australia, 1829
Peruvian defenders fight off Spanish fleet at the Battle of Callao, 1866
Good Housekeeping magazine goes on sale for the first time, 1885
Cree and Assiniboine  warriors win the Battle of Cut Knife, their largest victory over Canadian forces during the North-West Rebellion, 1885
The Congo Free State is established by King Léopold II of Belgium, 1885
Hannibal W Goodwin patents celluloid photographic film, 1887
General Motors  acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware, 1918
Pearl S. Buck is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for The Good Earth, 1938
The world's first ever jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1, makes its maiden flight, from London to Johannesburg, 1952
Tennessee Williams is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1955
The British ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her maiden voyage to New York City, 1969
The 1986 World Exposition in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, opens, 1986
The European Central Bank is founded in Brussels in order to define and execute the European Union's monetary policy, 1998
President Bill Clinton announces that accurate GPS access would no longer be restricted to the United States military, 2000
Cyclone Nargis makes landfall in Myanmar killing over 130,000 people and leaving millions of people homeless, 2008