The Pony had a bad day Monday. Mondays are always fraught with packages. The dude casing The Pony's mail left out some things, and was slow on others, and then just left. Perhaps to do his own route. Nobody really knew. The supervisor put The Pony to casing his own mail that was left. They'd already sent him out on a couple of short loops to deliver things that were ready. He didn't start his regular route until 11:30! Two hours late.
The day got worse when The Pony was stung by yellowjackets. He has a welt the size of a silver dollar on his wrist. Also one on his upper arm that's not as bad, since it stung through the shirt. The third one he can't pinpoint, but it was in the shoulder area.
"The yellowjackets were in the window shutters. It's a long porch with only one area to enter. I had two packages, too big to take them both at once. So I walked by the window with the first package, then back, and returned with the second package. That's when they came after me. I called my supervisor to report it. She said I could come in early, or she could send me help to finish the route, but I kept working."
On Tuesday afternoon, Hick said he was going over to the BARn. I was playing Candy Crush at the kitchen table on HIPPIE, and heaved a sigh of relief to be rid of him. He's bad for concentration. I'd scarcely started a new level when HERE HE WAS AGAIN!
"I thought you just left!"
"I did. But I got stung! I'm looking for the wasp spray."
"It's in the same place as always. In the laundry room. Shelf over the washer."
"I see it NOW. Three of 'em got me! Big red wasps. On the arm, one on the tip of my finger [Hick held up his BAD finger], and one on the corner of my nose! I was reaching up to get some fishing poles from the rafters of the carport roof, to work on over in the BARn. Them wasps must have a nest up in there."
On Wednesday, I shall remain ever-vigilant, on the lookout for stinging bugs. In case Even Steven thinks it's my turn next.
Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night...pretty sure no one mentions yellow jackets!
ReplyDeleteOr yard holes, or cat-scratches!
DeleteWe have mostly native wasps here, they build "paper" nests or mud nests and after I got stung once, I looked every year after that in all the shrubs and around the house in corners of the verandas etc, and if I saw a nest being started, I waited until the wasps were gone and scrubbed it away with the back of the broom. Then they would start a new one somewhere else and if it wasn't close to the house I would leave it alone. I've only once seen a European wasp which can be deadly, while our native wasps aren't.
ReplyDeleteI don't think our wasps are deadly, unless you're allergic and your throat swells shut. I used to spray all the nests around our porch, when I was walking around it an hour a day. Now I only spray the one over the kitchen door, and in the fake mailbox by the front door. Guess I missed the one in Hick's carport rafters...
DeleteThose stingers almost did my daughter in! She had to go to ER and take cortisone. Her arm swelled twice its size. Wasps are nothing to mess with.
ReplyDeleteYikes! That is a severe reaction!
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