Dirty Hands and Old Shoes

These Dirty Hands

Never thought I’d be writing about dirty hands, but here I am.

These hands have been through a lot, even for forty something years…

I really don’t like wearing gloves. I like to be able to feel what I’m doing. When I’m wearing gloves, I can’t “feel” what I’m doing. My boyfriend is always getting on my case, “Put your gloves on!” Even when I’m mulching, I don’t wear gloves, even though it is recommended. I’ve applied top soil and fertilizer without wearing gloves. Gross, I know…but this is who I am.

These hands have spent a lot of time at the beach and holding a fishing pole, catching more fish than not.

These hands have held the reigns of many a pony and a couple of horses…

I preferred ponies. We owned Patches for a while, ended up having to give it back to its owner…it got really mean. I’m almost certain they ended up selling it.

These hands have been the tender touch my baby boy needed…

These hands have shown compassion to dying loved ones…

These hands have gotten stuck in bumpers and shut in doors…

These hands have prayed for strength to get me through…

These hands have pulled weeds, held frogs and toads and touched black snakes (haven’t gotten the courage up to pick one up though)…

These hands have gotten out of many a tight situation, pounded nails, dug holes, painted walls – with more paint on me than on the walls, it would seem.

These hands have had stitches…

You can barely seen the scar here (below), but my ring finger was nearly torn off…One Saturday morning, I decided to take our new dog for a walk. I was 8 years old. I walked in the pen with the leash, leaving the gate open. After I hooked the leash on her collar, and unhooked her chain she bolted. I held on and tried to stop her by grabbing the fence post – an old telephone pole! My finger got hooked on an old rusty nail! My parents rushed me to the hospital and I think I ended up with 16 stitches outside and twelve inside. I had been cut clean to the bone. The doctor’s said I was lucky I didn’t lose my finger. The scar used to start above the ring, down and around the knuckle, and almost back to the top of the ring. As I’ve grown up and my hand got bigger (with age) the scar shrunk.

These hands clean up pretty well

Old Shoes and Dirty Clothes

Old shoes for yard work…

Old shoes for mowing…

Old shoes for swimming…

Old shoes for cutting wood…

Old shoes for shoveling snow…

Old shoes to keep my feet clean…

…but not my jeans.

I have been known to do (minor) yard work in my bare feet. I have chased snakes through the yard in my bare feet, taking pictures! But of course, I don’t have pictures of that! I do, however, have pictures of the snake.

“Jump into the middle of things, get your hands dirty, fall flat on your face, and then reach for the stars.” – Ben Stein

“Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications are endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature good humor, vast security, good speech, good silence and nothing too much.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson