Summer, a new definition: a few short months to get an awful lot done.
This summer has been especially challenging. It started with a dry, hot spring which had us searching the sky for wildfire smoke and pouring over newscasts showing the plight of fire refugees. The unseasonably warm weather encouraged us to plant our gardens early only to be forced to water them if we wanted them to germinate. Then the rains came - to stay. So now we rush around trying to get good weather projects started and completed between torrential downpours accompanied by window rattling thunder and some spectacular light shows.
It is, despite the weather, coming along. Ten gallons of Honeyberry wine are in the carboys. The raspberries are ripe. I'm picking a couple of gallons every few days. I expect to discover the first ready to eat zucchini any time now. It's fantastic growing weather; the gardens and the grasses are taking full advantage.
It's not just "get ready for winter" projects filling the time between rain storms. The brush mower's back wheel grabbed a fence wire and broke down a corner post which had to be replaced. A hose on the tractor sprung a leak. Strong winds have been depositing trees on the fence lines causing major clean-ups. Then there's the summer BBQ's, fairs, music jams... We're going to a gathering on the August long weekend to celebrate the 100th year of a generational farm.
Every once in awhile I find myself longing for the calm of winter.
Busy or not, a couple days ago I had a "stop and smell roses" episode smack me in the face, literally. While gassing up the mower, standing precariously on a wee ladder trying to figure out what direction I needed to twist a valve I could barely reach, a tiny little bee decided I was invading his territory and stung me on my left cheek. Hurt! Yikes! Yelling at my husband for "making me do stuff I really wasn't able to do", I stomped off to the shop leaving him to finish the job. Suddenly I felt weak, nauseous. Sweating profusely I sat down on a chair and lowered my head. I loosened my jeans and noticed a line of blisters around my waist. What is this, I thought - sun stroke? After awhile I made it to the house. That's when the itching set in. I took a cool shower to settle it down but it didn't help. Finally deciding I might be having an allergic reaction I took two Benadryl.
During all this my husband completed the lawn mowing, quite unaware of my plight. By the time he came in I was shivering, breathing hard, had bumps all over my back and an almost total body rash. He said, "Get dressed, we'd better get you to the hospital".
Unreal - over 70 and just now developing an allergic reaction to bee stings! I stayed in the emergency ward all night, on an IV while three bags of Benadryl (one shot of same) and electrolytes dripped into my system, slowly taming my reaction. I was released in the morning, told to continue taking Benadryl and advised to get an EpiPen. Two days later and I'm still weak. The actual site of the sting is swelling down my neck and it feels like there's a wee critter running around under my skin.
A couple years ago I blogged about "An Alien in My Head" (see Feb 12, 2014). That time I felt no sting and doctors were mystified, even thought I had an abscessed tooth because my only reaction was the swelling of the right side of my face and neck. This time I know for sure I was stung, had nearly every symptom described under anaphylaxis in Wikipedia. I've never had a fear of bees, but, especially now, I recognize their power. At least I won't have to struggle to get gas anymore, my husband said he's doing it from now on.
