I shudder to think. . .

   / I shudder to think. . . #1  

jinman

Rest in Peace
Joined
Feb 23, 2001
Messages
21,008
Location
Texas - Wise County - Sunset
Tractor
NHTC45D, NH LB75B, Ford Jubilee
. . . what would happen if I hadn't noticed something layin' on top of the fresh pile of dirt.:eek:

Okay, that's not much of a hint. How about this? Do you like wearing gloves when operating machinery? When it's cold, I can tolerate them, but the tactile feedback of joysticks, buttons to press, and even the steering wheel all just feel better to my bare skin rather than through gloves. I've just never been a really big fan of gloves. Recently, when digging silt out of the lake along my shoreline and hauling the silt up to cover some caliche sand, I was operating the backhoe, tractor, and dump trailer without gloves. Since my aim is sometimes off by a couple of inches, the fenders on the trailer often will end up having dirt collect on top. To get it off is simple, I just reach over brush it away. It's no big deal. . . right?

Last week, I had parked the trailer and was getting off the tractor and going to the TLB to load up the trailer again. With the previous load of dirt, I had reached down and wiped the dirt off my fender. As I walked to the TLB, something bright on the top of the dirt pile caught my eye. I glanced down and my heart skipped a beat. There in the dirt was a bright shiny gold ring. My wedding ring had slipped off my finger without my knowing it.:shocked: The only reason I saw it was because it looked so out of place. When my hands get dusty/dirty and are dry, my fingers get very slick and the band is loose. It's really not a sizing issue because it fits perfectly. In the future, I may have to consider wearing gloves or doing something to make the ring stay in place like taping around it. I surely don't want to take it off and put it in my pocket because I'll forget it and it will end up in the washer or lost. The ring has seven diamonds set in a row in a smooth gold band, so it wouldn't be easy to replace. It would kill me to have to tell my wife I'd lost it too.

As scary as it was seeing that ring laying there, I know that it could have been worse. It could have come off inside the dump trailer or rolled off into the weeds. If I hadn't seen it, I could have driven over it and buried it in the sand. There are thousands of possibilities that could have happened, but did not. Wow! That's just one more thing I'll be thankful for tomorrow.:dance1: Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!:D
 
   / I shudder to think. . . #2  
Wow, you dodged a bullet there Jim. Right there is 5 years worth of good luck.
 
   / I shudder to think. . . #3  
I stopped wearing mine because of general work hazards -- was always getting in the way and I figured I'd either get hurt or lose it. My wife knows that no other woman could possibly tolerate me, so she's not worried...
 
   / I shudder to think. . . #4  
I never wore mine much, because I worked around machinery a lot, and for safety reasons, my employers discouraged it. If I lost mine, I'd be in trouble. :)
 
   / I shudder to think. . . #5  
Heh-heh - you got LUCKY!
I always wear gloves, so ring containment is a non-issue. I used to go bare-fisted when I worked at a lumber yard, but those callusses vanished long ago, so I need the leather between me and slivers, thorns, wire bits, hot things when I'm welding and the cold, cold metal we have around here this time of year.
 
   / I shudder to think. . . #6  
When I was younger, and maybe a bit trimmer :rolleyes:, my ring would be real loose in cold weather and I was afraid of losing it. When I did field service I was reaching into circuit card bays and didn't want to be shorting stuff out. Now, the skin on my fingers is thicker--or something like that--to wear it comfortably. So, it doesn't get worn now either.
 
   / I shudder to think. . . #7  
WOW jim!!, Would have been the day to play the lottery. The "odds" of loosing it as you did, then finding it , have to be up there.
 
   / I shudder to think. . . #8  
Never owned one, got married 24 years ago in San Felipe Philippines and wedding bands were not available at the Subic Bay NEX plus I just don't wear rings or jewely of any kind. I hate that stuff.

mark
 
   / I shudder to think. . . #9  
You need to read the thread on "not" wearing rings.Wedding rings are like marriage certificates,only as good as the owner.
 
   / I shudder to think. . . #10  
Way back I found that I was damaging mine by wearing it when I worked, so I started taking it off and putting it in my pocket as required. I promptly lost it. :( I don't wear the replacement day to day. It comes out for special occasions.
 
 
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