Photography And Half-Thoughts By Mitchell Hegman

...because some of it is pretty and some of it is not.

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Working with Tools

I enjoy home construction projects.  I especially like working with hand tools and power tools.  The singular focus required for working with tools settles any discordant thoughts within my mind.

For me, it’s actually relaxing.

Cool spring and fall weather particularly suits me for outdoor projects.  I have never been a fan of the heat of summer.  Over the weekend, with temperatures in the forties and fifties, I lugged a host of tools outside and worked on dismantling (and saving for reuse) the brick veneer on the exterior of my house.

This is the initial step for the addition of a sunroom to my home.

As much as I enjoy the cool weather, my body objects.  The combination of cool temperatures and gripping something—especially the handles of any kind of tool—triggers my Renaud’s syndrome.  Renaud’s restricts blood flow to extremities such as fingers and toes.  Sunday morning, while operating a hammer-drill, Renaud’s struck my right hand in a pretty big way.  I can expect a small display of the syndrome in cool weather, but this was profound.  Part of my hand felt dead.

I stopped working and trotted inside the house so I could soak my hand in warm water.  I managed a couple photographs before blood returned to the last finger.



 

Mitchell Hegman

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