random thoughts – Day 1,943 – (Saturday) – sting of nature

There was a wasp on the screen of the casement window over the sink this afternoon. Because the windows crank out, the screens are on the inside. Last month there was a fuzzy round bumble bee in the same predicament, crawling on the screen trying to get outside. I cranked a window out, twisted the four little knobs to move the little levers that hold the screen in place, brought the screen in, and hoped the bee would find its way to the open window and its path back to nature. It did.

The process was repeated today for the wasp with its tiny, nearly nonexistent waist that inspired the name of the corseted wasp-waist fashion silhouette of the late 19^th century. As the wasp crawled on the screen of the left window, I removed the screen in the right window (felt safer). The wasp didn’t find the open window, despite my cheering it on, “keep going, little buddy, you’re almost there.” It left the screen and walked on the window frame, so I took the left screen out, but as I did so, the wasp flew and landed back on the screen, which I shifted to the open window so it could fly out.

Except it didn’t fly out. It fell into my hand and stung my ring finger where it meets the palm. It was an instant and surprisingly intense pain of the swear-inducing variety, disproportionate to the size of the creature. If any neighbors were outside, they surely heard some colorful language.

A sprint was made to the bathroom to the tweezers to check for and remove a stinger (none was found). An online search was done for wasp sting treatment and the site was washed. There was a rummage of the medicine cabinet for Benadryl or something like it because I don’t know if I’m allergic to bee/wasp stings and don’t recall ever having one before. Two slightly expired antihistamine tablets were found and taken. Back in the kitchen, there was no sign of the wasp and the assumption (hope) was made that it succeeded in its quest for freedom and the great outdoors. The screens were returned to their rightful places. Hours later, the sting site was still red and tender.

Later, when the back yard was shaded and I ventured out to the great outdoors to mow the yard, I was on high alert for stinging critters. Luckily, none were seen. 

After the mow, 7-12-25.

It was a quick mow, with the front and back yards completed in about 30 minutes. While traversing the yard with the mowing mantra of “walk, walk, walk, walk, walk …. pivot,” I wondered how many more mows there would be at this address, and how long it will take to mow the yard at the next address. The back yard there is presently much smaller with a lot of ferns and goldenrod having crept towards the house, and the front yard is much larger than that at The BungaLowell. I won’t have to wonder about it too long, because by next month at this time, I’ll be in the next home, sorting through boxes and starting the next chapter. I hope the wasps in the new neighborhood are kind to me.