With an enjoyable period of Indian Summer temperatures last October, I felt in a frenzy to complete outdoor home and yard tasks. I imagined they were utterly necessary to complete before the onslaught of winter. Need I note that a lot of these chores had lain neglected for years. Perhaps this was the year that I made time to tackle them.
My first "to do" involved tearing ivy off of the garage. In the process of this, I kicked a hornet's nest, and immediately felt a sharp pain on my arm. This sting unleashed enough venom to wipe me out physically for two full days. It then took at least 3 weeks for the angry red splotch and local pain to disappear. I remember when I was in my early twenties, I kicked a nest another time and got stung on a finger which swelled up like a golf ball. It also put me in the horizontal position and wiped me out for at least a day.
Easy to see how how well camouflaged their nest is and how easy it is to disturb the entrance! Now with the St. Louis Film Festival underway, I noticed a film entitled 'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest'...Sounds interesting, given my personal experience. I am sorry to say that the hornet's nest is no more, but at least I don't have to worry about getting stung again and the ivy is off the garage!
