The Battle is Joined; Death to the Wasps!

September. It brings thoughts of fruits ripening. Especially peaches. When I was a child my mother used to can and I remember September days, just after school had started, when I came home to a kitchen filled with hot, sweet-smelling steam and golden jars of elberta peaches my mother had canned.

My own bouts with nature this past weekend were less than memorable. I had finally gotten my lawn mower from my son, though it was out of gas and I no longer had a gas can as that is one of many things I got rid of last spring. Oh, and one of the wheels was broken so it wobbles very badly. I ordered a new wheel and it was supposed to be in on Friday afternoon. Friday afternoon, however, I was with friends having lunch and seeing Mama Mia (again). Oh the life of leisure! So Saturday morning I went to pick it up bright and early, since I know the shop is only open till noon on Saturdays. Except not on Labor Day weekend, apparently. Closed.

I decided to try to mow with the wobbly wheel so bought a gas can and got it filled. But then I couldn’t figure out how to make a spout or nozzle out of the lid so ended up just pouring and spilled probably a quart or more of gas. It’s okay -- I got it with my Safeway discount so it was only about $2.89 a gallon. No big deal. I can handle this little frustration.

I tried numerous times to start the mower, adjusting the choke. Nothing. Frustrated I finally parked it back in the garage. But all that spilled gas stunk and I thought it might be a little dangerous to have those fumes in my garage. So I dragged it into the back yard, over the tall grass, the fallen apples, out to the shed. The shed is probably a foot above ground so I got the front end up and then swung the back end in. I felt something prick my arm and at first was startled. Then I saw the wasps or yellow jackets or whatever they were swarming around inside the shed. Apparently they have some nests inside there. I had been stung. I raced into the house, calling for Charlie to follow. He came in his own good time, not quite sure what was going on. Sure, Charlie, you have that heavy fur coat to protect you from those nasty little buggers.

So Monday evening I am still rubbing the spot on my right tricep where it appears I was stung several times. Remind me again why I bought a house with a yard??? WHY didn’t I get a condo???

Earlier today I went shopping for yellow jacket traps. It’s war and I intend to win and take no prisoners. They shot the first volley; now I’m out to eradicate them from the shed and anywhere else on my property I find them. I love and respect honey bees and bumble bees but hornets, wasps and most especially yellow jackets are not welcome in my yard. And that apple tree that drops all those rotten, wormy messy apples in my yard might be the next casualty.

Aside from that unpleasant incident, I have been watching the coverage of Hurricane Gustav. It blew through the area where we stayed several days when we were in Louisiana in March. We were at a campground between Morgan City and Houma. We drove down into Houma and Lafourche Parish to Grand Isle. We drove up through Lafayette and Baton Rouge and, of course, through Lake Charles, and into New Orleans twice. It was very interesting to watch the coverage, see names and places I recognized. I was glad to see the hurricane avoided New Orleans and apparently the major oil pumping platforms and refineries. I was also very relieved to see there was so much better preparation this time and apparently very little loss of life. Let’s hope Ike is no worse. Or Hanna, which appears to be heading towards Georgia and/or the Carolinas. See why I like the Northwest?!? Except for the wasps, but they're everywhere, kind of like mosquitoes and turkey vultures.