Out, damned splinter!
Over the past three weeks I have been biding my time, waiting for this splinter in my thumb to work it's way out. I knew it wasn't deep enough to be stuck forever, but it was not shallow enough for me to pick out. It was painful if I pressed on it, so I eventually got used to avoiding using my thumb for various tasks that required pressing down. Late last week I could feel a bump where the splinter was. It was clearly poking out a bit, but was still under the skin. A couple of days ago, the skin over the splinter sloughed off, and I was able to borrow a pair of tweezers and was able to yank out the offending thorn. It was still a respectable size all things considered. I'll be sure to wear thicker gloves when I continue gardening..