End of Summer Update

Sometimes I really hate being so far away from the family - this weekend was a perfect example. Sean was in the Cleveland area, and I completely missed seeing him and his family.

OTOH, I needed the time to chill. Literally. I cranked up the A/C, and caught up on housework, teacher stuff, and just relaxing.

My feet are a little better. Last week, when I was mowing the overgrown back yard, I had another encounter with the Fire Ants. Both feet are covered with red welts. The good news is that I've finally stopped itching.

They're called Fire Ants because your body feels exactly like it's on fire. Those little suckers (see a picture below) are extremely aggressive, and leave nasty marks. They can't just be brushed off, I had to turn on a heavy stream of water for a few minutes to get them off me.



The stings they leave look like this:



From a web site that has everything you wanted to know about fire ants

They can and quickly do latch onto your flesh with barbed mandibles and sting repeatedly, pivoting in tiny circles until you, the victim can repel them or dies. The venom burns like a hot match and causes tiny blisters or white pustules that persist for days if left untreated or for weeks if scratched or infected and may leave permanent scars.

I probably have several dozen blisters that are healing.

I have finally learned my lesson about going into the yard in sandals.