Weather Vane
one of a kind
On the way to Hartselle, I saw this chicken. It was at the Tin Top antiques and old stuff place. On the way back, I stopped and took two pictures and headed to the car, got in and screamed at the top of my lungs. My calf on the right leg had been stabbed. The pain took my breath away. I felt with my hand and was stabbed again. As I pulled up my pant leg, I put my feet out the door. I kept getting stabbed even as I tried to pull up my pants. I thought fire ants had gotten on me. There beside my foot in the gravel was a wasp. I ground it into gravel and then sort of scooted my foot to roll it around. I left it with wings askew.
I hobbled into the shop and started shrieking that I needed a chair and to please get me a chair. Now, if you know antique/junk shops, you know there are always chairs. However, you never know which one might hold a person. The owner scooted something off a chair and pushed it up to me.
She asked what was wrong, truly in the dark except for the fact I was gasping. She helped me pull up my pant leg again as I was gasping, "Help me, help me!" "Wasp." I gasped. I had nothing for the sting. She said she had nothing but brought alcohol and rubbed it on my calf. The cool was such a relief. Then, she brought me ice in a sandwich bag.
I have always thought she was nice, but she is tops in my book now. When other customers came in, I left. So, after fifteen minutes of the worst pain I have felt since the last wasp sting, I managed to get back on the road.
Two of the stings were huge. There was a lesser one near those. Plus, I thought I had been stung behind my knee. Yes, there were four stings. Nope, I did not have my EpiPen.
Guess what I am going to do--get Benadryl. Maybe mine is still potent. ??? If I carry my epipen, it gets too hot. So, I am not sure how to stay safe.
One reason I don't wear skirts when I work in the yard is that wasps and bees get under skirts too easily. Well, no need to worry now, just wearing dresses when I want to now. Or, I could put huge rubber bands around the bottoms of my pants.
When I arrived at home and approached the porch, I had to walk through wasps, bumble bees, and hornets. I didn't flinch. I just wanted to lie down. I have never seen wasps, bumble bees, and hornets all together anywhere, much less in the last six feet to my house!
Okay, back to the chicken at the head of the post. Price? $600. I knew it would be out of my price range.
surgeon general warning
You might not be able to read the little sign. The chicken windmill was made from found material. This part was from a cigarette machine, I suppose. If you scroll back up, you can see the whole curved piece.
I wish someone would make me a six foot tall chicken weather vane! You can have one if you go just south of Hartselle on highway 31. The shop is on the left if you are heading south. Actually, this shop is where I found the yellow tall chicken, taller than this one.
Your turn
Does one wasp usually sting more than once? There was definitely only one wasp. Who is going to rush right over and snap up this unique chicken weather vane?
When my daughter was a child, a yellow jacket landed on her arm and stung her. Instinctively she clapped her hand over the sting, trapping the beast underneath her hand. It stung her several more times before I could move her hand and release the source of the pain. I don't know if any other of the same insect family is capable of multiple stings, but wasps and yellow jackets sure are.
ReplyDeleteVicki,
DeleteThat must have been hard on you to watch and remove her had quickly. I don't know either.
wet tobacco and make a paste and put it on there...and yes, they hurt llike crazy
ReplyDeleteJckiesue,
DeleteNeither of us smoked. Maybe I should carry a plug of tobacco at all times!
If you were very allergic, you would be dead by now, so at least that’s something to be thankful for. Peggy used to carry epinephrine, but, as you said, it can be hard storing it. Two good things to put on stings are meat tenderizer and wet snuff.
ReplyDeleteSnowbrush,
DeleteI really was afraid I would have a reaction while driving home. The woman who helped me and I both mentioned meat tenderizer and tobacco. Of course, I carry neither and she didn't either.
Obviously, you should stop getting stung except for when you're dipping snuff while tenderizing meat.
DeleteOuch. The last time I was stung by a wasp was while I was swimming. The little beast got me in the underarm mid-stroke. And yes, they hurt like hell.
ReplyDeleteEC,
DeleteWhat place to be stung! That must have been difficult when putting your arm down. It is not like you could walk round all day with your arm up in the air.
So sorry that happened to you! Yes, wasps can sting repeatedly. Bees are one and done (they die), but wasps can just sting over and over (and are much more painful). I was hit by a wasp a couple years ago at a garden center...flew up my t-shirt and stung me about 3 times on my stomach and chest. Very painful, I know what you are going through. Hope you are better now.
ReplyDelete1st Man,
DeleteYes, they are more painful. I don't trust any clothing to keep me safe now. Three on your stomach must have been so painful. Now, I am having stabbing pains on various areas of my body, just like I am being stung. Weird!
Wasps are crazy territorial as are yellow jackets. They keep stinging and stinging to fight off the enemy. One night recently TheHub got a wasp stuck in his shirt. He came running in for me to help him, and he got stung twice. The same wasp hit me in the face about 4 times, before TheHub managed to knock it off my eye and smash it in the floor. Between the 2 of us we had 7 stings form 1 wasp. I wish the next door neighbor had been watching. It looked like we were fighting and afterwards we looked like we had been in a fist fight instead of trying to help each other
ReplyDeleteAnne,
DeleteI can imagine how that looked from a distance. Even though I should not, I laughed as I read your comment. So sorry for laughing and 7 wasp stings.