This day started badly.
One of the first things I did this morning was pretty cleanly slice off a good chunk of the pad of my left pinkie finger. Doesn't really matter how this happened — next thing I know, it's 7:50 am and there's blood everywhere.
I have not yet had my first cup of coffee.
Mrs. Denmarkguy is away at a retreat in Oregon, so I'm trying to patch myself up, one-handed. Finger wounds are a pain in the butt that way.
Red skies...
Complication Number 1...
... arises because I take blood pressure (hypertension) meds and a couple of baby aspirin daily for heart health... I have "thin" blood, which means stopping bleeding from a wound is a pain in the butt. It just flows, and flows, and flows without coagulating.
So I'm applying pressure with a wrap of clean paper towels and Scotch tape(!) because...
Complication Number 2...
... somehow our first-aid kit is not where it usually lives. Nor is it in any of about a dozen alternative spaces I looked.
Think calming thoughts...
I need multiple sterile gauze pads and surgical tape.
I have a couple of band-aids, paper towels and Scotch tape.
Meanwhile, I'm on about the 5th or 6th iteration of removing a blood-soaked wrap and applying a new clean one, and contemplating...
Complication Number 3...
... which is that today happens to be my one "long work day" each month at our art gallery because it's the first Saturday of the month, which means it's the monthly "gallery walk" night, which means I have to bring in a bunch of extra supplies and refreshments... and probably stay at work till about 9:00pm...
So I'm evaluating how to fit that into the crisis of the moment, and remind myself that I also have to deal with...
Complication Number 4...
... which is that I need to set extra time aside before work to pick up my work neighbor at her house... because she was operated on to remove cancerous growths a couple of weeks ago, and can't drive yet. And has no other ride to work.
So, looking at all these pieces, I start chunking my morning into small time parts that somehow accommodate my collective dilemmas on a day when I happen to not have Mrs. Denmarkguy around...
... and somehow calculate that I can — while operating one-handed, rebandaging frequently, and holding my left hand above my heart as much as possible to minimize bleeding — get dressed for work, feed the cats and dog, eat breakfast, load all the prerequisite bits and pieces into the truck.... then stop at the pharmacy on the way in to pick up appropriate first-aid stuff and a package of WoundSeal... go to the gallery, unload everything for the day, then clean myself up enough to stop the eternal bleeding and dress the cut properly, then go pick up my neighbor and have us both back on site to open on time at 11:00am.
And yes, we opened our respective shops at 11:03. Not bad.
Our (old, previous) cat Brady... kind of how I felt...
Messy Stuff
"WoundSeal" is a pretty cool product, if you're not familiar with it.
In layman's terms, it's basically a powder, partially made up of a "supercoagulant" and partially the equivalent of moisture-activated powdered surgical superglue.
You make the affected bleeding area as clean as possible, accessible (can be messy because you're bleeding profusely) and then you sprinkle the powder into the bloody mess till it's covered.
You're still bleeding.
Then you clamp down on it with a gauze pad and apply pressure for about 10-15 seconds — which feels a bit like slamming your finger in a door — and the bleeding magically stops. Completely. Instantly.
In essence, the powder compound mixes with the blood and forms an instant scab/surgical suture over your cut.
After which I could wrap my finger properly and go about my day.
The finger is a little sore, but otherwise I'm none the worse for wear.
The preceding was not a product endorsement... but it is pretty cool stuff, as medical gadgetry goes.
In COMPLETELY Unrelated News... a Happy Story!
I was part of a rather wonderful Steemit "Community Experience" over the past few days.
Red leaves in the sun
Most of you who actually visit these pages have probably noticed that I have had the "Steemit Bloggers" logo at the bottom of my posts for a long time, and more recently it has been the "Power House Creatives" logo.
Well, 
When 
So we went off and did our best. And showed how the determined efforts and sincere appeals of a small group can make a big splash in the world.
Numbering fewer than 100, we competed against nine other community groups for the delegation... eventually finishing a narrow second to winners 
How is NOT Winning a HAPPY Story?
Because it was win in many ways!
The whole contest was one of the largest outpourings of community engagement we've seen here in many months! And that's definitely a win, given how many seem at the edge of giving up on Steem.
Whatever your impression might be, there are lots of people here who still do care, and about this place as something more than just a "cash grab."
And that gives me hope for the future.
Meanwhile, there really IS a happy ending!
Shortly after the contest ended, 
And that not all bid bot operators are just here for a "cash grab."
Something else that gives me hope for the future!
And on that light note, dear friends, it is now past 2:00am... and I am going to take myself and my well-wrapped wounded finger to bed!
Till the next one... be good! Or if you can't be good, be bad with a smile...
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 190203 02:18 PST
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