Last Cut is the Deepest

Fir cones are not easy to saw, not because of any intrinsic toughness but due to their shape that precludes holding them in a mechanical vice and their spikiness that takes a toll on the necessary alternative – my hand; the proximity of the blade to fingers is also a danger but it was only as I fashioned the ninetieth and last of the little beasts (needed for wedding table decorations) that blood was finally drawn, still with some other weddings costing an arm and a leg, a mere finger is nothing.