Remembering the sting

I just spent a little while in the backyard, stretched out on my bench, watching the birds flit back and forth between the cherry tree and the feeders. So relaxing with the gentle breeze and birdsong. Until I saw the bumblebee. I froze until it buzzed on by.

Some of you may remember my run-in with an angry bumblebee a few years ago as I was gardening in the early morning. I had long-ish hair, and hadn't pulled it up before going outside, which was my mistake. The bee got caught in my hair, and I tried to shoo it out.

Don't ever do that.

Anyway, I wrote an email to my homemaking list about what ensued, and I thought I'd share it this evening. The big event happened on July 8, 2005:

When gardening early in the morning and you are stung repeatedly by a bumblebee that chases you into the house, and you have to wake your husband from a deep sleep, and he can't even see the stings because he jumped out of bed and ran into the kitchen when you yelled and he forgot his glasses, and neither of you can find any baking soda in the house, but you know there is some for deodorizer in the frig in the garage, and he won't go outside in his underwear, so you run back outside, swearing because it hurts SO bad, and you come back inside and mix up the baking soda paste yourself because he went to get dressed, then he spreads the paste on your body with the fork you mixed it up with, and says "It's okay honey, I still love you" like he wouldn't still love you just because you were stung, then he says he's going to work, but "you should get online and look up treatment for bumblebee stings" and you say "Sure, just don't worry about watching me for anaphylactic shock or anything" and he says "you would have had it already" and kisses you on the forehead and leaves, you should remember that homicide is a punishable offense and you should wash a bumblebee sting with soap and water, use an antiseptic, and quickly apply an ice pack for 20-30 minutes. (Oh, and he did call when he got to work to make sure I was okay.)