Chinese Finger Trap

I know if you are in the line of business of "Redouxing" things, then you might come upon some strange circumstances from time to time.  Once I went to get some furniture, I had to actually "dig" through a room to get the China Hutch I wanted in the back.  Let me tell you, it wasn't pretty what I found behind the hutch.

I will let you guess what this is.....

Then there was the recent experience where I met the man in the dumpster at 6 a.m.  I was kind of annoyed he beat me to the dumpster dive.  Geesh, what time does a person have to get up these days for a good piece of "junque"?  

My latest adventure involved some free Craig's list bookshelves, the stow and go seats in my van and my ring finger....

I went to pick up some lovely free bookshelves on Monday.  When I arrived at destination, the kind man giving me the furniture offered to give me a desk, an old wood high chair, a really nice chest and several pieces of really good wood.  Of course, I was almost squealing with delight. In my rush to get it all in my car, I went to fold the seats down in my middle row.  When I got to the passenger side seat, the strangest thing happened.  Somehow, my finger had become lodged in this little mechanism.

Of course, I tried unsuccessfully for a few seconds to get it out.  How embarrassing!!  Then I had to yell for help.  The poor man was in the process of moving and had to scramble to find tools.  Finally he found a wrench small enough to get around the bolt that seemed to be holding the trap together.  He held the seat while I tried unsuccessfully to loosen it.  After a minute or so, he realized the bottom bolt was spinning.  We thought it would be a good idea to tip the seat down so he could have a better angle at the bolt.  

 

IT GOT TIGHTER!!!!!!   

By now panic was starting to rise and my finger was going kind of blue

Several twists of the bottom bolt.  Nothing.  Now the guy ran to get some WD40.

NOTHING.  It was in a VISE GRIP.  

Of course, there was much silent prayer and pleading going on.  I could just imagine.  

Me: Hello, 911?  My finger is stuck in my folding chair.

911 Operator: Your folding Chair?

Me: Yes!!!!!!

911 Operator: How on earth did you do that? 

ME: No idea, please just get the Jaws of life here soon, my finger is about to die off.

911 Operator: Have you tried WD40? 

ME:YES!!!!!!

911Operator: Well, we will send the emergency crew out. Good luck.

 Several minutes later, neighborhood surrounded with gawkers.  Me in my gym clothes, greasy hair, no makeup, and my rear end sticking out of my van.  Yes, this would make for an excellent story.....

At just about the moment I was about to let the tears flow and yell 911!!!!!!  It popped out! 

Luckily, I happen to have a first aid kit in my car. Twas nothing but a flesh wound (sorry Monty Python reference)

So my finger was pretty hurty, do you think I left the free stuff? No way!  I packed that van full and drove off like a lottery winner.  

A little Ice, a little one handed tasks for the day, and here is my finger now:

 sorry for the old woman worker hands......

The moral of the story?

It isn't power tools that will cut your fingers off, it is little weird things in your car.