Catching Up

Foo. I just went the whole of April with only one post. Shame on me.

So there'll be much catching-up in the next few days. The Clemens signing. Strawberry picking (heading out in a few minutes). Our new piano. A fun baseball book-signing. Amalie's tee-ball, which I'm helping coach. New lawn mower to go with Val's new and improved lawn.

But I'll start with my finger. I'd been trimming the old nail, front and back (yes, it feels weird), as it grew along. Finally, in late April, it was down to a little arc, and peeling away from the underflesh on all sides; the pink underneath was the size of a crumb. I couldn't wait for the darn thing to finally fall off -- whenever it snagged (and despite being very careful, sometimes it would) it hurt, more a twinge than real pain, but nothing appealing.

Yesterday, Sunday, I took a nap while Carson was enjoying an extra-long one (he was sick on Saturday evening so needed the extra rest). Woke up, sat down to watch a bit of baseball, pulled Amie into my lap -- and noticed my fingernail bit was, at last, gone. Gone! YES!

I still have a ridge of the hardened underflesh that needs to finish outgrowing before my baby nail will push forth and be ready for its first trimming. I've never given much thought to nail growth rate -- I know my toenails grow slower than my fingernails, but have never timed either -- but this time I couldn't ignore it. Granted my right index finger had been messed up with the infection, but if the growth rate stayed normal, and it appeared to be steady relative to my other carpal digits, then my fingernails completely regrow in about 3-4 months.

I still don't yet have the a functional fingernail but at least I can stop worrying about getting it snagged.