So here's the whole story. A while ago we had some curbing put in our yard, around the flower beds in the front yard, and to create some flower beds in the back. We worked really hard to clean out grass and rocks from the newly created beds, and filled them with mulch in anticipation of planting. I have been thinking about what to put in the back to beautify everything, and have been keen on making progress with actual plants.
Christopher mentioned to me at Easter that they were planning on getting rid of some plants in their backyard, including some very large boxwood. I wanted them. Boxwood is slow growing and his plants were big and healthy and would fill lots of my empty space. Also, I would be getting plants for free, and free is a very good price. I finally was ready to transplant and called Christopher to ask if I could come over and dig them up. I thought the stars had aligned today because Christopher and Tysen had spoken about moving on with their backyard project just an hour before. It was kismet!
I took over my shovel, gloves, some string, and plastic bags to put the plants on, and after borrowing a pair of scissors from Christopher to cut the string, got to work. I wrapped the branches of the first bush with the string to keep them closer together and give me a better access to the roots, and then started digging. Without too much effort, and without taking too much time, I got the first bush out along with two smaller day lilies and a salvia. I was feeling so good about my progress. Four plants in about 30 minutes.
The second large boxwood proved more difficult to access because I encountered landscaping fabric under the dirt. I tried to get at it with the shovel, but I wasn't having any luck. I didn't want to use the scissors Christopher gave me to cut at fabric in the dirt, so I went in to ask him for a different pair, ones that I could get dirty. Instead of giving me scissors, he gave me a very sharp switchblade that he told me he would sharpen when I was finished with it. Although not very wide, it looked like it would do the trick. It also looked like it could do serious damage to my person if I wasn't careful. I had the conscious thought, 'Be really careful with this knife. If you're not, you could really do yourself a mischief.'
Ten minutes later, I did. I was bending down at an awkward angle, trying to keep the lower branches of the bush out of the way with the elbow of my left arm, while hacking away at the landscaping fabric with my right hand. Unfortunately, the knife slipped and I stabbed myself in the palm of the left hand.
I immediately knew I was in trouble. I ripped off my gloves and raced in the house to put my hand under cold water. I told Christopher what I had done and that I was going to need to go to the hospital for stitches. Then I got very, very light-headed and nearly fainted. Christopher was very helpful. He got me a towel, had me sit on the floor while he held my hand up, then got me a Capri Sun (very restorative), called Kent, and took me to the ER.
While I had been working in the backyard, the kids had been playing in the basement. After Christopher got me loaded into the car, he went to tell the kids that I had stabbed myself in the hand and he was taking me to the hospital. Both of them came out to see me before I left. Blythe said, "Mom! Can I see your wound?" As it was bleeding and I was applying direct pressure, I didn't let her see. Brandt came out and said, "How did you stab yourself in the head?" He, apparently, needs his ears checked. How would someone stab themselves in the head?
Kent met us at the ER and took over from Christopher. Fortunately, the stab wound ran in the same direction as all the tendons in my hand, so all my fingers still worked and I didn't require surgery. I did, however, require four stitches, stitches that would have to stay in for ten days during which time I would need to keep them clean and dry. So no swimming. Sad face.
Before we left the hospital, the nice man who checked us in came to talk about pre-payment. We like to do that because they give you a discount. We paid $280, which was a savings of $70. Yeah for us. However, considering that I was trying to save money by transplanting, that boxwood ended up costing quite a bit of money. And while I had hoped to get all three dug up and replanted in our yard, I was disappointed that I hadn't accomplished more.
I feel like such an idiot. "I am not an idiot all of the time. I am just an idiot once in a while." This was one of those times.
Postscript: My hand was very sore for a week and beyond. As the skin healed, it pulled together and made everything tight and itchy. I was uncomfortable, but so glad it wasn't more serious. When I was finally able to work again, I went back for the other two boxwood, and I took my own pair of scissors to use in the dirt. Much more effective than the switchblade. We got all three boxwood planted along our back fence, and so far they have made the transition well.
We also got the hospital bill. Total charges for my visit were $1,109.30. They did make adjustments, and we had pre-paid some, but we still owed them $306.71. That means that my efforts to save us money on plants that were supposed to be free actually cost us $586.71.
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