Monday, August 3, 2009

Just Like the Old West

Spaghetti western music plays in the background.

I stand in the afternoon sun, armed. My hands clasp my weapons of choice. Suddenly, there’s activity to my right. I fire.

But instead of bullets, my fingers on the triggers emit a fine but forceful mist. Bullseye! Like a victorious gunfighter, I stand over my target. DIE! DIE! DIE! I yell gleefully as I drown it with Raid.

Yes, Raid. My "targets" are the hornets that have taken up residence beneath the siding on one corner of the house. I was attacking them because they were attacking the mother as she worked on the house foundation. Essentially, I was playing bodyguard!

It made for an interesting afternoon. I managed to get stung -- not while I was on bodyguard detail -- but just standing in the carport. I looked down in just enough time to see one crawling on my foot. I tried to swat at it but it was too late. OUCH!


Fun times.

5 comments:

Jayne said...

Ouch!! I hate hornets. My son has them living in his yard. Yuck.

Anonymous said...

Come on, admit it! You LIKED playing "gunslinger" with that can! It's just too bad you didn't nail the one who got you. Hope your sting doesn't hurt too long.

Why S? said...

It's too bad you were forced to kill. We try to live non-violently and without pesticides but at one point, the Black Widows in our yard were just too much. They were everywhere we looked and once actually blocked our front door. I get shivers just thinking about it.

We don't have hornets, just things I've always taken to be wasps, but maybe I don't know the difference. But they've never bothered us.

MonkeyGirl said...

Yesterday, Mr. M got stung for the third time this summer - darn wasps! He lamented that he has been stung more this summer than he has been i the past 20 years.

At least this time is wasn't in his mouth! Warning, check your soda cans BEFORE you take a drink!

NV said...

Jayne -- I thought of you the minute I saw what the mother was up against. I know how you hate them, too!

Star -- Actually, i DID nail the one that got me. As I stomped it, I asked him if it was really worth it. :-)

Why -- I don't like to go out of my way to harm anything but these beasts were too much. I told them that if they started paying the taxes they could stay. Otherwise ...

MG -- YIKES! At least mine wasn't that bad. Poor Mister.