Gerri’s Blog

Yes, a very fine start to Independence Day here in the U.S. Happy 4th of July, everyone! I hope all my U.S. friends have something fun planned to celebrate. The WM and me? Well, it’s just nice to have a day off work! But we will try and do something festive instead of just yard work and chores!

Had a bit of a mishap this week that I thought I’d share with you. I told you we had gone to a 4-day work week with rotating days off. Well, Wednesday was my off day this week. I thought I’d get a head start on mowing the yard…and I did, minding my own business, riding merrily around on the mower, enjoying a somewhat non-sweltering day in the low 90s. When out of nowhere, and for no reason, a red wasp attacked! The bastard latched on to the back of my neck for a super-duper sting. In my fit to get him off (and kill the bastard!) I knocked my favorite red, white and blue (for the 4th, you know) Astros baseball cap off my head and mowed right over it, shredding it into a dozen pieces.

Now I may have just a tiny bit of an allergic reaction to stings but I’m rather used to it. Five of the bastards got me last year…arms, hand (twice) and leg. And yes, there is usually a little swelling. But I’ve never been stung on the face/neck area. Well…let’s just say I turned into the spawn of the Dough Boy’s mother and the Incredible Hulk! When Diane got home, she wanted to take me to the hospital! But something else you probably don’t know about me…I don’t go to doctors, I don’t take medication. Besides, just a little wasp sting…no big deal.

But at midnight, as my chest felt heavy and I couldn’t swallow, I had a moment of panic. I imagined my throat slowly swelling closed. So, up (quietly…so as to not wake the WM) out of bed and a look in the mirror…YIKES! It was frightful! I had no neck! No wonder my chest felt tight…there was a small tire where my neck used to be! So I threw on some clothes and headed to the nearest pharmacy…a 24-hour Wal-Mart a half-hour. As I’m tearing into a box of Benadryal and swallowing two pills, my cell phone rings. “Where the hell are you?” “Ummmm….at Wal-Mart,” I said quietly. “Why the hell didn’t you wake me up?” “Ummmm….” Well, you get the idea. I also grabbed a bottle of Benadryal spray and doused my neck right there in the store as if applying a fanciful perfume!!

My twenty-five mile trip back home at 1:00 in the a.m. was uneventful…except that I didn’t buy non-drowsy!!

The swelling has gone down so I’m not as frightful…but I shall be careful outside this weekend for fear of more of the bastards attacking! I have tried to live in peace with them (they are very good for gobbling up garden pests) but if they are going to continue these sneak attacks then we will declare nuclear war on them! I’ve already got my eye on a $6 can of Hornet and Wasp spray! Yeah…the bastards!

Okay…..everyone please have a wonderful and safe weekend! See you next week….