This post is from March but never got posted.
A fantastic beautiful day, one in a string of many. So nice until I decided to tackle some of the yard work. There is plenty to be done. Leaves banked in the flower beds; sticks and unpicked pecans laying around; work to be done on preparing the new flower bed; flowers in need of dead-heading; weeds growing between the cracks; and that is just the top of the list.
Had just gotten started when a truck pulled up out front. It's election time in the Big Rip so "politicians" are making stops to enlist your vote. "This should be interesting." But, no, it's the gentleman whose trap had been placed by the barn/shed/garage. He'd come to retrieve it with the hope that the raccoon was in it. N O T! Something had snagged the bait but didn't trip the trap. Was he pissed or what?
He took time to fill me in on the "glory days" of the Big Rip. At one point, this fair community boasted of two movie houses and a drive-in. A drive-in? Are you kidding me? Five groceries? More about "The Hole," the Black business area which added to the city's coffers. How? Surrounding areas were dry but busloads would come to "The Hole" for refreshments. A thriving community until the politicians decided that it was an eyesore and needed to be torn down. An interesting conversation covering politics, history, and so on until...Mother Nature spoke.
A flutter in the pants leg. Then, another. OMG! Ants from sitting on the bench? And then an awful sting on the back of my calf. That conversation came to an abrupt end as I ran to the house, giving my apologies on the way. Ran into the kitchen and dropped my pants. The wasp dropped to the floor and so did my size 10. Take that!
Swabbed it with alcohol. By the next day, the entire calf was a swollen, angry red. And it kept swelling. By mid-week, it was clear that infection had set in. Pain down the entire leg and the ankle had disappeared. Asked my coworkers for remedies. "Tobacco and spit." What? At this point, I'm ready to try anything but...cigarettes are expensive. Found some old, long-forgotten, doses of penicillin laying in the drawer. Thank you, Jesus. The leg is returning to its' normal size; I can see my ankle. But there are still remnants of the sting to deal with.
And what should I spy from the kitchen window? A red-headed woodpecker! Where is the camera when you need it?
Be safe. Be Blessed.
2 comments:
Yes. Dear Miz G. But to be certain, we had at kleast three movie theaters. And groceries? Leadway, a Kroger, Big Star, and local contenders such as Smith Brothers (moved from where City Hall and the Police now 'rest'; and Thompson's Supermarket - to name but a few. There were significant department stores, local: Berg and Schaffer's, Badours, Libby's, etc. But also a "Black and White," which during the 1950s changed its name to Shainberg's. As for the "Hole" Goodness me, it would take a volume.
Rob, you all have such memories--where is the book?
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