I just got stung by a bee here in hot-as-hell Mesa, Arizona. However, I am fine. Bee stings, luckily, are one thing I’m not allergic to. I have some ice on it now, and it isn’t swelling or tingling or anything. It barely even hurts. It’s nothing compared to the Great Spring Break Scorpion Attack. :) But the story is still worth telling:
I was walking from Becky’s car back toward her new house, carrying some bottled water to put in the refrigerator, when I noticed that a bee (or wasp, whatever) was standing on my left shoulder. Seeing as how I have always hated bees with a passion (a trait which, like my interest in politics and my love of Irish music, I inherited from my dad), I was highly perturbed by this development. But I know that bees are supposed to leave you alone unless you provoke them, so at first, I left it alone, hoping it would go away. However, as it walked slowly up my shoulder toward my neck, I sort of panicked, and attempted to shoo it away. In the process, I dropped several bottles of water, pressed the alarm button on Becky’s car keys, and apparently antagonized the bee enough to earn a sting.
I didn’t actually feel the sting for a second — I was probably too distracted by the car alarm and my general state of discombobulation to notice — but when I got back in the house, I noticed a slight pain on the back of my neck, and asked Mrs. Zak (the only person in the house; Dr. Zak and Becky are out shopping at Home Depot) if it looked like I had been stung. She said yes, and directed me to put some ice on it. (Mrs. Zak is a retired nurse, so she knows about this stuff.) I did so, and still have that ice on it now, but the sting site definitely isn’t swelling up or anything. So yeah, I’m fine.
By the way, the temperature right now in Mesa is 102 degrees. Ugh.
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Categories: My Life
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July 31st, 2003 at 5:55:13 pm
What?!? You mean it gets really hot in Arizona?!?! You don’t say! *grin*
July 31st, 2003 at 6:04:27 pm
Classic! WAAAW haw haw haw / a Story well told / “…I have always hated bees with a passion (a trait which, like my interest in politics and my love of Irish music, I inherited from my dad)…” BeGOB (hi Sean) I WISH now I had an Irish political-satire song in which the British army is analogized to a swarm of hornets / have to write one / “…I was highly perturbed by this development” - We gathered :) - “…I sort of panicked…attempted to shoo it away… dropped several bottles of water, pressed the alarm button on Becky’s car keys…” HAW HAW Bet it was that Alarm that alarmed the bee / Well glad yer all right.
“…I noticed a slight pain on the back of my neck” - yeah, that was my Comment Posts coming in. But how’s the sting feel now? :) Yerra Funny One, kiddoe.
July 31st, 2003 at 6:37:01 pm
Got it! I had the imagery backwards (stupid of me), and this is re War of 1812 but — close enough. The political ditty is definitely of Irish origin (I knows ‘em when I sees ‘em; “England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity” - Eamonn de Valera; hi Sean:)– see original Poster’s footnote, with which I agree -
Bah! I find I can’t clickieLink; some Cabbage & Spinach messuage about the Webmaster’s new Server — sooo, therefore, here it is in full, BLL Bandwidth be Damned, courtesy of www.mudcat.org, the best folkmusic site in the Cosmos. / Well. In *this* Cosmos.
THE HORNET AND THE PEACOCK
Ye Demos, attend, and ye Federals, too
I’ll sing you a song that you all know is true,
Concerning the Hornet, true stuff, I’ll be bail
That rumpled the Peacock and lowered her tail.
cho: “Sing hubber, O bubber,” cried Old Granny Wale,
“The Hornet can tickle the British bird’s tail,
Her stings are all sharp and they’ll pierce without fail.
Success to our navy!” cried Old Granny Wale
This bird it was bred in the land of King George
Her feathers were fine and her tail very large;
She spread forth her wings like a ship in full sail
and prided herself in the size of her tail.”
King George, he then says “To America go
The Hornet, the Wasp is the British king’s foe.
Pick them up, my dear bird, spread your wings to the gale.”
“But beware of those insects,” cries Old Granny Wale.
Away flew this bird at the word of command,
Her flight was directed to freedom’s own land;
The Hornet discovered her wings on the sail,
And quickly determined to tickle her tail.
So at it they went, it was both pick and sting,
The Hornet still working keen under her wing;
“American insects,” quoth she, “I’ll be bail,
will humble the king bird and tickle her tail.”
The Peacock now mortally under her wing
Did feel the full force of the Hornet’e sharp sting;
She flattened her crest like a shoal on the whale,
Sunk down by her side and lower’d her tail.
Success to brave Lawrence, who well knew the nest
Where the Hornet and Wasp with honor still rest.
We’ll send them a force, and with skill, I’ll be bail,
We’ll humble King George, and tickle his tail.
Note: Granny Wale is, as far as I can find out, a transliteration
of the Irish Granuaille, or Old Woman. RG
[>which was a figure of speech for: Ireland. JL ]