This summer has been a b*tch. It seems like it has been just one thing after another after another after another.
Before I share the latest issue to arise in my summer saga, here's what I typically wear when I work out in the yard or do stuff at home. And yeah, I'll actually tramp into town wearing this. It's not so bad, is it?
t-shirt (stolen borrowed from my daughter)
shorts -- Soffe (gifted)
Believe it or not, this is a pretty dressy "at-home" outfit for me -- my toenails usually aren't painted. Seriously though, I usually just wear boxers and a guinea tee or a sports bra. (And no, I don't tramp into town wearing only a sports bra -- I mean, I do have standards after all.) I don't have air conditioning, and honestly? I might as well be in hell for as hot as it's been this summer. It's just me, myself, and I at home, so I dress as cool and as comfortably as I can. I take that stereotype of a stay-at-home mom who wears sweatpants all the time and everywhere and raise it one.
I did get a little bit better in aiming the camera -- I give a lot of credit to people who take all their own pictures!
I have no idea what look I was striving for here, but at least I made sure that I didn't have a double chin.
My yard is supposed to have all these beautifully sculptured beds of English ivy. Unfortunately, a few years back, all the beds were mowed down instead of weeded. Once that happened, the weeds all screamed,
"All clear. Charge!"
and took over. My beautifully sculptured beds of ivy became a figment of my imagination. I was working 12-hour days, and weeding the beds and whipping them back into shape was the last thing I wanted to do when I got home (a girl's got to eat, right?). But this summer, I had the chance to declare war against the weeds! 
So, I've been out there almost every day -- not for very long -- maybe15 minutes or half an hour, but trying to stay with it. And it's making a difference. Even my bed of pachysandra is starting to come back! And remember I have no air conditioning, so it's not like I escape out of the heat once I come inside.
So what happened? I was out there this past week, when all of a sudden --
OW! OW! OW!
Oh my! I got stung. Not once, not twice, but multiple times. (or I got bit -- I don't know which it was, because I never saw what it was that got me). It got me right on my butt (the biggest target?)! and my back! and my stomach! Within the hour, my butt bite was swollen, and I could barely walk, let alone sit! And, oh my -- did it hurt. I ended up going to the doctor's -- it hurt so bad that I was afraid the stinger wasn't out. I took Benadryl; I put ice compresses on my butt; and I moaned and whined a lot.
I basically spent the past few days in bed on my stomach. OW! I still don't know what it was that got me. Just when I feel like I was making progress, I'm now scared to death of working in my yard!
What do you think it was that got me?
Yowch! I am a total homebody. I dress up almost everyday, but almost always change into sweatpants/sleep pants and an oversized freebie t shirt from DH's old workplace.
ReplyDeleteYowch! Sorry to hear about the stings/bites. I'd probably see if you got into some ants or possibly a nest of something near. I'd probably stay inside, but I'm terrible in heat and love my air conditioning and lack of bugs. I shudder to think about no a/c with how many air quality alerts have been out in the past few weeks.
Oh, sheesh, sounds like yellowjackets. They nest in the ground, as I discovered to my dismay one summer (nine stings while I was dragging my kayak out of the basement bulkhead door), and they get cranky starting around this time of year, apparently, because their food sources begin to diminish. I bet their nest was near where you were weeding. If you can sit out there at a safe distance and watch to see them fly in and out, you might discover it. Someone told me that if you put a bit of protein food on the ground nearby (he suggested bologna, of all things), you might attract them and be able to see more clearly where they fly into and out of. Once you figure out where they are, the best thing to do would be to borrow a beekeeper's suit and spray the hell out of the nest at night, when they're all inside. (Heck, pour boiling water on top of them afterward, to finish 'em all off.) If you can't borrow a full bee suit, pick up a cheap bug veil and layer up well, sealing as many openings in your clothes as you can. (I wore my winter coat, snow pants, and boots, with the bug veil, in the middle of summer. I'm glad nobody saw me.) Good luck.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the at home comfort front. When I get home the bra comes off, and on goes the tank top and comfy pj pants. Heck who do I have to impress. I'm gussied up all day, at night I want to put my feet up and say Ahhhhh!
ReplyDeleteI agree that it was probably yellow jackets. Hows the butt now? That will teach you to try and be productive. Might I suggest Bon bon eating? :)
Eeek the sting sounds horrible! My mom had a centipede sting that sounds just like it, but those can't fly obviously.
ReplyDeleteI also understand the pain of taking your own photos... it's a lot of trial and error and running back and forth.. Haha!
Sounds like some type of wasp that nests on the ground. My husband was bit on the nose while mowing the yard (we have several acres). He went on and on about how painful it was, and I kinda made fun of him and told him he was making a big deal out of a little sting. Well....We were walking with our dogs a few days later, and I got stung on my leg. I thought I had been shot!!!! My hubby was kind and patient and half carried me to the house. In the evening, he took care of the wasp nest. Not exactly eco friendly, but wife and dog firendly fos ure. Hope you feel better :-) Maria
ReplyDeleteYellow jacket or hornets. Hornets nest in the ground, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's TOO hot to be out there anyway!! I don't know how you do it without a/c, but I'm not sure where it is you are.
Here, in GA, it's been at, near or above 100 since June!
Oh and I forgot to say, that's a perfectly acceptable outfit for being at home and running into town for a quick errand...or grocery shopping...Sometimes I'm just not feeling getting dressed up. I'm all about a hat and t shirts. Those just rarely make the blog! I just skip those days! LOL
ReplyDeleteThere are some yellowjacket HORNETS that live here in Texas that are probably also in your area. They live in holes in the ground and get you because you don't see the hole and don't see them coming. Did the stings hurt like hell? Then it might be a hornet.
ReplyDelete