Location: Anna, TX
Somedays are good somedays are bad, and others are just plain painful. Back when I was working in Texas in the summer of 2008. It was hot, but a heat like I have never felt before. I would say comparing it to a sauna would be a mild comparison. Anyway it was hotter then a witches tit in a brass bra as my grandfather would say and it was only 8am. I will never get use to that. So my plan for the day was to assist the Outdoor Education Department in the morning by leading canoeing. I have taught canoeing for many many years so I might have been able to give Sacagawea a run for her money! Anyway I am demonstrating how to properly enter and exit the canoe, paddle, etc. Now the students are ready to set sail. Everything was going great. Which it usually does for the most part. Then it is time to come in. I am assisting the boats and as I sit down on the bow of the last boat to unload the last students, when I sit on a hornet, which stings me right on my right check. Man that hurt, many a curse word ran through my mind, but luckily not out my mouth. So the class ends I go home and remove the stinger. It swells, but there is work to be done so I move along.
While the students are at lunch. I go down into the field to set up the Travois for next weeks camp. While I am laying out the material. Freaking fire ants start climbing up my shoes and pant legs. When I felt them crawling, I immediately stripped off my pants, thank God no one could see me, but even if they could, what the hell you got to do what you have to do and if you have ever dealt with fire ants you know exactly what I mean. So I think I have thrown all of them away from me. I make a dash for the car and head straight home for the shower leaving my pants and shoes behind. When I get in the house some of those little bastards are still on me and all sting me at the same time. As if the pain in my ass which is throbbing is not enough now I have fire ant bites all over my calves. I decide to take a Benadryle, one because I have a bad reaction to hornet stings and two because the pain is unbearable. So I knock myself out for lunch break. While I am unconscious on Benadryle (as if my day could not get any worse) a spider crawls into bed with me. Now unbenost to me, it bites me on the face. So when I do wake up. I have a huge welt on my left check. Great just great. There are some days in life when it pays to no get up. This was one of those days. I returned to work in the afternoon. In shear agony.
I made sure my presence was no longer needed, then I went home and called it a day. So whenever you think you have had a horrible day, just think about this and get back to me.
