09 May 2008

Beware- The spork!

I am not a big fan of plastic forks, spoons, or even the fancy spoon fork job called the spork. You can get the cheapie little white ones, the heavier duty clear ones, fancy colored ones to match your birthday paper plates, or my personal favorite the ones that are tinted to look like actual silverware.
The problem is that they are an environmental atrocity, they don't work very well, and they are not safe.
That said, I have a box of plastic forks, spoons, and knives (so they are called) in my home. I have also used them at open house events at the shop when we are cooking on the pellet grill.
Last fall, for example, I was cutting up a pork loin fresh off the pellet grill and it was hot! hot! hot! So I was holding it with a heavier duty clear plastic fork and cutting with a real knife. Well I was cutting away when someone asked me a question. I turned to look at them trying to continue cutting when BAM! Snap! CRACK! "Holy Crap! that hurt!!" The plastic fork had shattered sending shards every which direction and cutting a big gaping hole in my finger and a puncture wound by my fingernail that hurt like (insert nasty word of choice!) There were customers all around so I just smiled and made some little joke then ran inside to the bathroom. I washed up and pulled out the hunk of plastic that was sticking out of my finger. Over the next few days I noticed that I had a sensitive finger while typing. "Sissy," I thought. Over the next couple of weeks DH noticed that I was now typing with the side of my finger, and that it was bright red all the time. That stupid plastic fork punctured it I recounted. It will heal eventually. After a couple of months it was getting puffy as well as red and I must have whined about it because Art whipped out his leatherman and said he wanted to look at it. I didn't like the sound of that. I am not good with pain, blood, needles, pain, or blood. He held me down to poke and prod around enough to come up with a bloody little shard of what looked like glass. Pretty small, more than 1/8" not quite 1/4" long. It was a shard from that stupid fork!
"Big deal," you say. No, it really wasn't anything more than a nuisance. What happened to my sweet little niece a couple of weeks ago was a big deal though...
She was playing play dough with one of her brothers using plastic ware to cut and mold the dough. Still unclear about whether there was a scuffle or just excited play but the plastic fork (I believe it was) shattered sending plastic shrapnel flying. G was crying up a storm and her Mom had a tough time calming her down. She finally fell asleep and took a little nap for an hour or so. When she woke up Mommy noticed that her eye was beet red and had a little pyramid on it. So they rushed her off to the emergency room where they called in eye specialists to operate. They pulled a hunk of plastic ware out of her eyeball!! The poor thing had like five stitches in her eyeball which will have to stay in for a month. They won't know until then if she what her vision will be. Almost guaranteed glasses for the astigmatism that has ensued.
Prayers for G! We love you baby girl~

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness! That is scary! I'm the biggest wuss ever. I hate blood, pain, or even the thought of blood and pain! You're probably thinking, "And you live on a farm!?!?!" LOL!

Poor Little G! Hope she's okay.

Shannon said...

Thanks for your kind thoughts. She is a tough nut. I didn't think there was a bigger wuss than me! LOL ;) DH says my favorite word is "Ow" because I say it so often...

Unknown said...

I think your DH would get along great with my Hubby! LOL! My Hubby makes fun of me when I say "Ow" all the time too! LOL!