You may recall me complaining about the rabbit visiting my garden and eating all my green beans. He has plagued me all season and just last week I discovered his home.
He had taken up residence under my peach tree in some tall grasses and baby peach trees. I like to let the small trees grow until they are big enough to transplant. There must have been two dozen under the tree and some grass and weeds that had taken over. The rabbit had created a "hole" in the thicket. Almost woven. He would come out from time to time and stand there watching me weed. He was quite brave, this little thief, showing no inclination to move along.
I challenged him with my rake and he just stood his ground with his bulging side eyes. Yesterday, he was forced to move! I put my mower on the highest blade setting and mowed down all the grass and trees. Truly a testament of how annoyed I was with this rabbit. I sacrificed my baby peach trees! That will teach him to stare at me with his sidelong glance.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Monday, August 15, 2016
To Nair, or Not To Nair .....
Rained all day. A nice gentle rain, cool and refreshing. I binge watched The Young and the Restless and ventured out periodically to pull a few weeds and harvest some things from the garden. Weeding is great when it is raining, the root comes right out with so little effort.
Yesterday we mowed, and mowed and then we mowed some more. At one point in time we had 3 mowers running. The recent rains have the grass growing thick. Even with the blade up a notch, it was still hard to get through. Though the weather was cooler, I was still drenched in sweat after a very long 14 hour day.
I decided to treat myself to a nice long shower while dinner was in the oven. It was leftovers, with cheese on top. HeWho will eat anything with cheese on top and often eats some very creative casseroles made up of vegetables HeWho has sworn he has never and will never eat.
On my way to the shower I made note that my lady mustache and chin whiskers needed some attention. I opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the Nair (for faces) and saw a bottle of hair removal for legs. This bottle boasted "just spray and rinse".
I confess that I do not remember the year of purchase for this product, but I am pretty sure it was out of date. It smelled like permanent wave solution. Those of you who have had your tresses permanently curled will know what I am talking about. I kept my hair frizzy in the 80's. I administered my own wave and if I was "disappointed" with HeWho is often disappointing I would break out a fresh perm at night, so that my head was really smelly. But, I digress.
I decided to give the leg spray a whirl, since it had the same working time as the Nair on my face. The sprayer clogged up almost immediately, but, I was committed to smooth legs by then. I poured the product into the palm of my hand and applied it to my calves, despite the instructions that forbade me to do so. I did wash my hands immediately, but I am pretty sure that I no longer have fingerprints.
Still committed to the procedure, I stood there, timing the event, stinking to high heaven. Knowing I would be tossing the product, I applied it quite liberally and could feel it starting to slide down my legs. I was getting the cloth all ready to wipe away the offending facial hair when Martha, the boy cat, chose to investigate my whereabouts.
I suppose he was happy to see me, as he began winding through my legs as he always does. First one leg, then the other, and back again. He was smearing the smelly hair remover on his sides!!!
I quickly wiped my face and grabbed the cat and started wiping him down, hoping he would not be bald when I was done. You can all breathe easy. Martha still has hair ..... and so did my legs. I had to shave them after all.
Yesterday we mowed, and mowed and then we mowed some more. At one point in time we had 3 mowers running. The recent rains have the grass growing thick. Even with the blade up a notch, it was still hard to get through. Though the weather was cooler, I was still drenched in sweat after a very long 14 hour day.
I decided to treat myself to a nice long shower while dinner was in the oven. It was leftovers, with cheese on top. HeWho will eat anything with cheese on top and often eats some very creative casseroles made up of vegetables HeWho has sworn he has never and will never eat.
On my way to the shower I made note that my lady mustache and chin whiskers needed some attention. I opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the Nair (for faces) and saw a bottle of hair removal for legs. This bottle boasted "just spray and rinse".
I confess that I do not remember the year of purchase for this product, but I am pretty sure it was out of date. It smelled like permanent wave solution. Those of you who have had your tresses permanently curled will know what I am talking about. I kept my hair frizzy in the 80's. I administered my own wave and if I was "disappointed" with HeWho is often disappointing I would break out a fresh perm at night, so that my head was really smelly. But, I digress.
I decided to give the leg spray a whirl, since it had the same working time as the Nair on my face. The sprayer clogged up almost immediately, but, I was committed to smooth legs by then. I poured the product into the palm of my hand and applied it to my calves, despite the instructions that forbade me to do so. I did wash my hands immediately, but I am pretty sure that I no longer have fingerprints.
Still committed to the procedure, I stood there, timing the event, stinking to high heaven. Knowing I would be tossing the product, I applied it quite liberally and could feel it starting to slide down my legs. I was getting the cloth all ready to wipe away the offending facial hair when Martha, the boy cat, chose to investigate my whereabouts.
I suppose he was happy to see me, as he began winding through my legs as he always does. First one leg, then the other, and back again. He was smearing the smelly hair remover on his sides!!!
I quickly wiped my face and grabbed the cat and started wiping him down, hoping he would not be bald when I was done. You can all breathe easy. Martha still has hair ..... and so did my legs. I had to shave them after all.
Sunday, August 14, 2016
When Lightning Kills The Internet
Like most of the country, we have been caught up in the insane heat and humidity. This makes for some really smelly laundry if you do anything outside for any length of time. Say, for example, mowing or gardening.
Friday evening, the storm that finally broke the heat hit. We knew it was coming, not because we paid much attention to the meteorologist forecast. No, we knew, because Toni Louise was wedged firmly between the bathtub and the toilet. She hates storms, but she especially hates thunder and lightning.
While I rejoiced in the cooling effects of the storm, I was not so happy that lightning struck the tower that holds the Sprint satellite and KNOCKED OUT MY INTERNET!
This was bad! HeWho called right away and alerted Sprint to the strike. He called them again the next morning. Did they not understand that Saturday is my 12 hours inside day and I NEEDED internet to get through the day!!
Too bad for me. The hours would have crawled by, but since we were not that busy, I stayed outside working in a garden that was sorely lacking in attention. I made a lot of progress, but I was elated to find a good signal when I closed the door at 9:00 last night!
Friday evening, the storm that finally broke the heat hit. We knew it was coming, not because we paid much attention to the meteorologist forecast. No, we knew, because Toni Louise was wedged firmly between the bathtub and the toilet. She hates storms, but she especially hates thunder and lightning.
While I rejoiced in the cooling effects of the storm, I was not so happy that lightning struck the tower that holds the Sprint satellite and KNOCKED OUT MY INTERNET!
This was bad! HeWho called right away and alerted Sprint to the strike. He called them again the next morning. Did they not understand that Saturday is my 12 hours inside day and I NEEDED internet to get through the day!!
Too bad for me. The hours would have crawled by, but since we were not that busy, I stayed outside working in a garden that was sorely lacking in attention. I made a lot of progress, but I was elated to find a good signal when I closed the door at 9:00 last night!
Thursday, August 11, 2016
I Can Hear You Now
The trip to the ear doctor was great! I was there for all of 5 minutes. Settled in the most uncomfortable chair, was tilted back and my ear released all it's wax to the vacuum. Suddenly I could hear. Amazing that stool softener could do that.
Doubts about the treatment aside, I am now wondering what they do with all the ear wax? Has to be a lot of ear wax gathered every day. Maybe they should try for the Guinness world record for the biggest wax ball. Or, they could sculpt a giant ear from all the wax ..... I would wear gloves.
I had a wonderful day away from the park. I lunched, I gossiped and I shopped. The clearance section, of course. As the man in Walmart told me last week when I inquired about the location of pool supplies .... it is back to school! So, the summer merchandise was on sale and my household was in want of parmesan cheese and apple cider vinegar.
I left for home as the wind was picking up and the sky was darkening. Lightning split the horizon and I braced myself for the drive home. I hate to drive in rain. As I sat at the last traffic light I would encounter, knowing I would not make the light because I was so far back in the line, I texted HeWho will drive through any storm unfazed and alerted him that the traffic was bad and giant drops of rain were pummeling my windshield. So he could worry about me. I am a sharing sort of person.
It rained fast and hard. The traffic on the interstate crawled along at 40 mph and a lot of people had pulled onto the shoulder to wait out the storm. I kept moving, figuring I would never be able to safely merge back on should the rain let up. About 9 miles from home the rain stopped and clear skies prevailed. Nary a drop did fall on my kingdom.
Now that I can hear, I can go back to my favorite hobby of wondering about things. Things like people who will drive through rain coming down so hard, you have zero visibility, but they don't bother to turn their lights on. As if, all is well as long as they can see others. That was the white car in front of me. I stayed well back, but at times I would lose sight of the vehicle and just hope they had not suddenly slowed.
By far the worst was the tow truck I passed while during a break in the rain. There was a car on the truck and another car being towed behind. No lights on the tow car and the truck flew passed me in the rain ....... with no lights on. I could barely make out his turn signal on his truck. I was so happy when I got home safe and sound ...... and hearing. I can hear again!!
Doubts about the treatment aside, I am now wondering what they do with all the ear wax? Has to be a lot of ear wax gathered every day. Maybe they should try for the Guinness world record for the biggest wax ball. Or, they could sculpt a giant ear from all the wax ..... I would wear gloves.
I had a wonderful day away from the park. I lunched, I gossiped and I shopped. The clearance section, of course. As the man in Walmart told me last week when I inquired about the location of pool supplies .... it is back to school! So, the summer merchandise was on sale and my household was in want of parmesan cheese and apple cider vinegar.
I left for home as the wind was picking up and the sky was darkening. Lightning split the horizon and I braced myself for the drive home. I hate to drive in rain. As I sat at the last traffic light I would encounter, knowing I would not make the light because I was so far back in the line, I texted HeWho will drive through any storm unfazed and alerted him that the traffic was bad and giant drops of rain were pummeling my windshield. So he could worry about me. I am a sharing sort of person.
It rained fast and hard. The traffic on the interstate crawled along at 40 mph and a lot of people had pulled onto the shoulder to wait out the storm. I kept moving, figuring I would never be able to safely merge back on should the rain let up. About 9 miles from home the rain stopped and clear skies prevailed. Nary a drop did fall on my kingdom.
Now that I can hear, I can go back to my favorite hobby of wondering about things. Things like people who will drive through rain coming down so hard, you have zero visibility, but they don't bother to turn their lights on. As if, all is well as long as they can see others. That was the white car in front of me. I stayed well back, but at times I would lose sight of the vehicle and just hope they had not suddenly slowed.
By far the worst was the tow truck I passed while during a break in the rain. There was a car on the truck and another car being towed behind. No lights on the tow car and the truck flew passed me in the rain ....... with no lights on. I could barely make out his turn signal on his truck. I was so happy when I got home safe and sound ...... and hearing. I can hear again!!
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Blind, Deaf and Dumb
This is my 12 hour day. The longest day of my week. Made even longer when one does not feel good. I am off balance, sometimes a little dizzy.
It is the drops in the ear. My ear aches. Not unbearable, but just there. Made the mistake of taking some pain medication I found lingering in the pill box. A pharmacist told me once that you could take pills one year beyond the expiration date and they would just be less effective, but not degraded. This one was still effective. Took three naps yesterday. I was not very effective. Now I have that "hangover" feeling.
It rained some more. Yesterday morning I looked out my window and saw that my vegetable garden was under water. The banana tree is quite happy with all the water and I spied two ripe peaches on the ground.
I have been keeping an eye on these peaches, the only peaches I will get this year. They are usually ripe and picked by the fourth of July. This year had such weird weather and I have just a handful of peaches starting to turn color. A group of three were in the highest branch and I had pondered a ladder to reach them. My wacky ear situation prevented me from climbing and I would forget about asking HeWho is not afraid of heights.
So, there on the ground lay two perfect peaches. The rain let up to a mere drizzle and I ventured out to collect them. They weren't a s perfect as they looked from my window vantage point. A bird had taken a bite or two. I can cut that off, though. The peachiest peach was still hanging in the tree. I stood there under the branch, looking up at the peach. I grabbed the limb in question and gave it a mighty shake ........
This is when I knew my judgement was impaired. I had no business making even the smallest decision. I managed to soak myself and the peach remained firmly attached to the tree. Remember I was looking up into the tree when I shook it. Now, I was not only deaf, but blind ..... and very dumb!
Not dumb in the sense that I cannot speak, either. I decided then that I would not have a really good day. I did manage to take care of the canine's needs, but that was about all!
On my adventure to see the ear specialist, I stopped at Walmart. Not my usual Walmart, but a bigger one. Different layout and clearance spread throughout the store. I was on a mission, having a request from HeWho handles all pool related issues. Seems we needed a new hose for the vacuum. I searched in all the likely places and could not locate the aisle with pool supplies.
I flagged down a friendly, helpful associate and inquired about the location. He looked at me as if I had wings and was from another planet! He informed me that "we got rid of all that, it is back to school time!" Got rid of all that? Does this mean you tossed it in the dumpster, or you sold it, or maybe you packed it up and put it away for next season. I didn't ask, didn't want him to attack me verbally, as I was still a little off balance after my visit with the ear digger, um, I mean doctor.
I meandered through the store, discovered a fabric section that was unimpressive and picked up a few paint pens and moved along to the grocery aisles. I needed some new mop heads for my Libman mops. I love these mops! The mechanism that wrings the water is easy to use and the mop head itself does a good job. I use their brooms, as well. That being said, I saw a display featuring a Lysol mop, with a free broom attached! Pretty much the same price as a new Libman mop, but with a broom and a dustpan attached for free.
Anyone who knows me, knows I love a bargain. I bought it! You knew I would, didn't you? I tried using the mop yesterday. I tell you, I could not push the wringer down over that mop to save my life. I could only get it about half way. Now, the whole reason you buy a mop with a wringer mechanism is so you won't have to grab that nasty mop head in your hands and wring it manually. I enticed HeWho to give it a try and he couldn't do it either. Should you be tempted by the display of floor cleaning tools by Lysol, I say DON'T DO IT!! Do not be misled by the free broom and dust pan. The broom is inferior, as well. I gave the broom to the bathrooms, having no need of one in my humble abode. Haven't decided what to do with the mop, with a head that is too fat for the wringer. There must be a craft that calls for some of the parts ..........
It is the drops in the ear. My ear aches. Not unbearable, but just there. Made the mistake of taking some pain medication I found lingering in the pill box. A pharmacist told me once that you could take pills one year beyond the expiration date and they would just be less effective, but not degraded. This one was still effective. Took three naps yesterday. I was not very effective. Now I have that "hangover" feeling.
It rained some more. Yesterday morning I looked out my window and saw that my vegetable garden was under water. The banana tree is quite happy with all the water and I spied two ripe peaches on the ground.
I have been keeping an eye on these peaches, the only peaches I will get this year. They are usually ripe and picked by the fourth of July. This year had such weird weather and I have just a handful of peaches starting to turn color. A group of three were in the highest branch and I had pondered a ladder to reach them. My wacky ear situation prevented me from climbing and I would forget about asking HeWho is not afraid of heights.
So, there on the ground lay two perfect peaches. The rain let up to a mere drizzle and I ventured out to collect them. They weren't a s perfect as they looked from my window vantage point. A bird had taken a bite or two. I can cut that off, though. The peachiest peach was still hanging in the tree. I stood there under the branch, looking up at the peach. I grabbed the limb in question and gave it a mighty shake ........
This is when I knew my judgement was impaired. I had no business making even the smallest decision. I managed to soak myself and the peach remained firmly attached to the tree. Remember I was looking up into the tree when I shook it. Now, I was not only deaf, but blind ..... and very dumb!
Not dumb in the sense that I cannot speak, either. I decided then that I would not have a really good day. I did manage to take care of the canine's needs, but that was about all!
On my adventure to see the ear specialist, I stopped at Walmart. Not my usual Walmart, but a bigger one. Different layout and clearance spread throughout the store. I was on a mission, having a request from HeWho handles all pool related issues. Seems we needed a new hose for the vacuum. I searched in all the likely places and could not locate the aisle with pool supplies.
I flagged down a friendly, helpful associate and inquired about the location. He looked at me as if I had wings and was from another planet! He informed me that "we got rid of all that, it is back to school time!" Got rid of all that? Does this mean you tossed it in the dumpster, or you sold it, or maybe you packed it up and put it away for next season. I didn't ask, didn't want him to attack me verbally, as I was still a little off balance after my visit with the ear digger, um, I mean doctor.
I meandered through the store, discovered a fabric section that was unimpressive and picked up a few paint pens and moved along to the grocery aisles. I needed some new mop heads for my Libman mops. I love these mops! The mechanism that wrings the water is easy to use and the mop head itself does a good job. I use their brooms, as well. That being said, I saw a display featuring a Lysol mop, with a free broom attached! Pretty much the same price as a new Libman mop, but with a broom and a dustpan attached for free.
Anyone who knows me, knows I love a bargain. I bought it! You knew I would, didn't you? I tried using the mop yesterday. I tell you, I could not push the wringer down over that mop to save my life. I could only get it about half way. Now, the whole reason you buy a mop with a wringer mechanism is so you won't have to grab that nasty mop head in your hands and wring it manually. I enticed HeWho to give it a try and he couldn't do it either. Should you be tempted by the display of floor cleaning tools by Lysol, I say DON'T DO IT!! Do not be misled by the free broom and dust pan. The broom is inferior, as well. I gave the broom to the bathrooms, having no need of one in my humble abode. Haven't decided what to do with the mop, with a head that is too fat for the wringer. There must be a craft that calls for some of the parts ..........
Thursday, August 4, 2016
People Are Strange
Yesterday was the day. The day I went to the Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. My ear was hearing again, but it was still hurting from time to time. Something I would normally ignore, the pain was pretty benign.
I left a couple of hours early. Not because I wanted to be that early, but I had a lunch date with my bestie, Martha. Martha used to have her camper here and I miss seeing her. We keep in touch, but it is just not the same as having an hour to gossip in person.
I drove to her shop and got a big hug from Tom (aka crazy Tom), her husband and one of our favorite people. Got some doggie love from Gus and then we were off to lunch and gossip. It was too short and I was happy to let her know that I will be returning at almost the same time next Wednesday for my follow-up appointment. We will have another lunch date then.
So, that was the highlight of my day. The very first thing they do is take you into a sound proof room to evaluate your hearing. She peered into my ear and then pushed some air in to see if the eardrum was totally blocked. She decided I needed a good cleaning out before proceeding. I felt shame, like when the dental hygienist scolds you for not flossing.
The Doctor came in to examine the ear as I sat in the most uncomfortable chair in the world. After the initial peek, he lowered the back of the chair and had me turn my head away, then proceeded to vacuum my ear. The sound is much like you can imagine. Then came the digging part on what he referred to as a "big chunk" of wax logged firmly against my eardrum. It hurt! He dug out two "big chunks", but what remains is sealed against my eardrum. So, he called my pharmacy and ordered up my remedy. Stool softener in drop form.
I have to put the stool softener in my ear for the week, then go back and have my ear vacuumed again. He says this works a lot better than DeBrox or any other over the counter products. Who knew?
Lets go back to flossing. We don't have to floss anymore!! I saw it on TV. As exciting as that news is, what captured my attention was the footage they chose to accompany the news item. It was a man brushing his teeth, with copious amounts of foaming toothpaste around his lips. It was gross. Who thought this was a good visual? Made me think of a story one of my campers told me. They were having breakfast and looking out their window ..... to see a family brushing their teeth OUTSIDE and them spitting the toothpaste into a stump. People are strange ......
I left a couple of hours early. Not because I wanted to be that early, but I had a lunch date with my bestie, Martha. Martha used to have her camper here and I miss seeing her. We keep in touch, but it is just not the same as having an hour to gossip in person.
I drove to her shop and got a big hug from Tom (aka crazy Tom), her husband and one of our favorite people. Got some doggie love from Gus and then we were off to lunch and gossip. It was too short and I was happy to let her know that I will be returning at almost the same time next Wednesday for my follow-up appointment. We will have another lunch date then.
So, that was the highlight of my day. The very first thing they do is take you into a sound proof room to evaluate your hearing. She peered into my ear and then pushed some air in to see if the eardrum was totally blocked. She decided I needed a good cleaning out before proceeding. I felt shame, like when the dental hygienist scolds you for not flossing.
The Doctor came in to examine the ear as I sat in the most uncomfortable chair in the world. After the initial peek, he lowered the back of the chair and had me turn my head away, then proceeded to vacuum my ear. The sound is much like you can imagine. Then came the digging part on what he referred to as a "big chunk" of wax logged firmly against my eardrum. It hurt! He dug out two "big chunks", but what remains is sealed against my eardrum. So, he called my pharmacy and ordered up my remedy. Stool softener in drop form.
I have to put the stool softener in my ear for the week, then go back and have my ear vacuumed again. He says this works a lot better than DeBrox or any other over the counter products. Who knew?
Lets go back to flossing. We don't have to floss anymore!! I saw it on TV. As exciting as that news is, what captured my attention was the footage they chose to accompany the news item. It was a man brushing his teeth, with copious amounts of foaming toothpaste around his lips. It was gross. Who thought this was a good visual? Made me think of a story one of my campers told me. They were having breakfast and looking out their window ..... to see a family brushing their teeth OUTSIDE and them spitting the toothpaste into a stump. People are strange ......
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
To Kill A Yellow Jacket
The recent rains have had us scrambling to keep up with the mowing. It rained again last night, just as it did the night before. Some of my garden is in standing water, even though the beds are raised.
So, last evening, I set out to mow my back yard. I really intended to do just that. But, as I approached the barn to get the mower I noticed that the garden bed of day lilies next to the barn needed some serious attention. It was being taken over with a wicked thorny weed. I just so happened to have my garden gloves in my pocket.
I was making great progress as I pulled the thorny weed that has grape sized berries on it. Those are the seed pods and I was being careful to get the plants out, roots and all and not drop those seed pods in the garden. I was also pulling the spent stalks out of my day lilies so that they will bloom again. I had quite a pile of debris forming and I was losing light. I really wanted to finish this bed before I went in. The sturdier weeds were in the back of the bed, but the bed is only about 2 feet wide. Still, I placed one foot in the bed to get a good grip on the lower stem and felt something sting my foot.
I stepped out and the tiny little varmint was stinging the top of my foot over and over again. I slapped at it with my right hand and another one joined in and stung my hand. Before I knew it they were IN MY CLOTHES. I have no idea if anyone saw me, but I was yanking my shirt and then my bra off as I walked to the door as fast as I could. There was one in my shorts pocket!! After stripping and killing the ones that made it inside with me, I started hunting a remedy for the pain.
I always have Benadryl lotion on hand in case I meet up with my old friend, Poison Ivy. I slathered a generous amount on my foot and hand. It didn't seem to help and I had to throw on some clothes to check in a late-comer. I was writhing the entire time and the man wanted to chat about the weather. I finally made it to the shower and pounded my foot with the coldest water I could stand.
That seemed to help, but you can only shower for so long. My hand only had one bite and didn't hurt as bad as the foot. I decided to use ice packs and that was ok until I went to bed. I had a miserable night. I have been stung by wasps and bees before, but this was a yellow jacket. All night long I would get sudden stinging sensations. I got up at some point in the wee hours and found some Benadryl tables on the store shelf by the light of the soda machine. Took two, but still didn't get much sleep.
Today my foot is hot and swollen and itching like the worst case of poison ivy I have ever had. My flip flop is tight! I returned to the scene of the crime with HeWho is my hero and a can of wasp spray. He shot a healthy dose of poison into the hole they seemed to be coming out of. They did not die, though!!
While HeWho is lazy, consulted his best friend, Siri, I went online to confirm what they were and how to kill them. My investigation yielded some useful tips. The killing should be done late in the evening, as they are less likely to attack when it is dark ( I beg to differ!) and the entire colony will be in the nest (that sounds good to me). At this time you should apply the Pyrethrum very thoroughly and then wait for it to dry ( I will be a good distance away!), then apply another treatment in powder form. If that doesn't work ..... they suggest repeating the process in a day.
I will confess that I did enjoy beating the ones on my clothes to death with my handy dandy fly swatter. If the treatment does not work, I will consider moving! Just took a half dose of Benadryl and will venture out to water my hanging baskets before icing my foot again. Along with the rain came another reminder that the roof is leaking where the water heater is vented. The kitchen was a swamp this morning and I would be having a small fit about it, if HeWho routes sewer was not currently doing just that.
Soon as the plants are quenched, I plan to sit back with my foot propped up while I compose an eviction notice to my gypsy tenants. So many infractions. Your dog may not run loose with out a leash, nor should some children. Said children should be supervised if they are unfamiliar with modern plumbing and manage to clog every toilet in the park. You may not wrap wire clothes lines around my trees and hand all your laundry out for all to see. Using coolers with no lids to wash your dishes outside is also forbidden. But, the top of the list would be ............ don't send your kids out to the edge of the woods to pee in full view of other campers. Boys, but still, the bathroom is close by. But wait, the bathroom is clogged up BY THEM!
Yep, same old, same old.
So, last evening, I set out to mow my back yard. I really intended to do just that. But, as I approached the barn to get the mower I noticed that the garden bed of day lilies next to the barn needed some serious attention. It was being taken over with a wicked thorny weed. I just so happened to have my garden gloves in my pocket.
I was making great progress as I pulled the thorny weed that has grape sized berries on it. Those are the seed pods and I was being careful to get the plants out, roots and all and not drop those seed pods in the garden. I was also pulling the spent stalks out of my day lilies so that they will bloom again. I had quite a pile of debris forming and I was losing light. I really wanted to finish this bed before I went in. The sturdier weeds were in the back of the bed, but the bed is only about 2 feet wide. Still, I placed one foot in the bed to get a good grip on the lower stem and felt something sting my foot.
I stepped out and the tiny little varmint was stinging the top of my foot over and over again. I slapped at it with my right hand and another one joined in and stung my hand. Before I knew it they were IN MY CLOTHES. I have no idea if anyone saw me, but I was yanking my shirt and then my bra off as I walked to the door as fast as I could. There was one in my shorts pocket!! After stripping and killing the ones that made it inside with me, I started hunting a remedy for the pain.
I always have Benadryl lotion on hand in case I meet up with my old friend, Poison Ivy. I slathered a generous amount on my foot and hand. It didn't seem to help and I had to throw on some clothes to check in a late-comer. I was writhing the entire time and the man wanted to chat about the weather. I finally made it to the shower and pounded my foot with the coldest water I could stand.
That seemed to help, but you can only shower for so long. My hand only had one bite and didn't hurt as bad as the foot. I decided to use ice packs and that was ok until I went to bed. I had a miserable night. I have been stung by wasps and bees before, but this was a yellow jacket. All night long I would get sudden stinging sensations. I got up at some point in the wee hours and found some Benadryl tables on the store shelf by the light of the soda machine. Took two, but still didn't get much sleep.
Today my foot is hot and swollen and itching like the worst case of poison ivy I have ever had. My flip flop is tight! I returned to the scene of the crime with HeWho is my hero and a can of wasp spray. He shot a healthy dose of poison into the hole they seemed to be coming out of. They did not die, though!!
While HeWho is lazy, consulted his best friend, Siri, I went online to confirm what they were and how to kill them. My investigation yielded some useful tips. The killing should be done late in the evening, as they are less likely to attack when it is dark ( I beg to differ!) and the entire colony will be in the nest (that sounds good to me). At this time you should apply the Pyrethrum very thoroughly and then wait for it to dry ( I will be a good distance away!), then apply another treatment in powder form. If that doesn't work ..... they suggest repeating the process in a day.
I will confess that I did enjoy beating the ones on my clothes to death with my handy dandy fly swatter. If the treatment does not work, I will consider moving! Just took a half dose of Benadryl and will venture out to water my hanging baskets before icing my foot again. Along with the rain came another reminder that the roof is leaking where the water heater is vented. The kitchen was a swamp this morning and I would be having a small fit about it, if HeWho routes sewer was not currently doing just that.
Soon as the plants are quenched, I plan to sit back with my foot propped up while I compose an eviction notice to my gypsy tenants. So many infractions. Your dog may not run loose with out a leash, nor should some children. Said children should be supervised if they are unfamiliar with modern plumbing and manage to clog every toilet in the park. You may not wrap wire clothes lines around my trees and hand all your laundry out for all to see. Using coolers with no lids to wash your dishes outside is also forbidden. But, the top of the list would be ............ don't send your kids out to the edge of the woods to pee in full view of other campers. Boys, but still, the bathroom is close by. But wait, the bathroom is clogged up BY THEM!
Yep, same old, same old.
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