The Internet Is Forever

 I first published this story on my blog almost ten years ago - https://boggythicket.blogspot.com/2011/10/at-balfanz-pharmacy.html- so I was amazed to see not one, but two new comments posted this week.

Killler Wasp

 

That is a picture of a wasp species I had never seen before this summer. Our daughter told us about one in her back yard in Bertram, and a few days later, we saw our first one here at the Boggy Thicket.

They are HUGE!  

If the red wasps I wrote about the other day were fighter jets, these monsters would be Boeing 747s.  Their bodies are 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, and they have a wingspan of about 3 inches.

They are known as Cicada Killer wasps - Sphecius speciosus - so named because Cicadas are the primary source of food for their offspring,  They attack locusts and carry the paralyzed bug  to their nests where they deposit an egg then seal them up to provide the larva with food.  The larva hatch in late June or early July - just in time to start the cycle again.

If there is any good news about these critters, it's that they are almost never aggressive toward humans.  The female's sting is said to be extremely mild, and the males can't sting at all. 

Limerick with a Twist

 Here's a Lim I wrote with an interesting twist. 

Lines 1,2 and 5 LOOK like they rhyme, but none of them do...

There’s a shop in the suburbs of Akron

Making masks from cotton and Dacron

They can copy a face

Anywhere, any place

From Yoda to Emmanuel Macron

Cassidy

 I eased into year 78 yesterday and my birthday was great.  

I got dozens of birthday greetings on Facebook - thank you all - and Honey made me a delicious birthday cake.  I didn't do anything special for the day, but that's just the way I wanted to spend the occasion.

If there was one cloud in the firmament, it was that I spent several hours on line or on the phone unsuccessfully trying to find somebody who would come pick up an injured hawk.  Lots of numbers listed on line were no longer in service, and the rehab organizations I was able to reach all wanted me to catch the bird, put it in a box and deliver it to them.

Honey first noticed the hawk on her morning walk a few days ago, and we have seen him in our yard or the neighbor's every day since.  He has a bad wing - probably broken - and is unable to fly.

I nicknamed him Cassidy, since all he can do is hop along.  I know it's a bad pun and in terrible taste.  It's just my way of making the best of an unfortunate situation,

Last Day On Earth

 Today is my last day on Earth - as a 77-year-old.

The last year hasn't been all that great, but it was eventful.

• I had cataract surgery on both eyes.
• Tropical Storm Imelda flooded our house.
• I've lost 20 pounds.
• We spent four months living in our 5th wheel.
• I had a cancerous tumor removed from my arm.
• The interior of our house was totally redone and we have all new furniture.
• We got the barn rebuilt.
• Like everyone else, we have been dealing with the many and varied inconveniences of Covid-19.

I'm hoping 78 will be a little less exciting, but I'll worry about that tomorrow.

Red Wasps

 

As I've said many times in the past, we have a large variety of critters here at the old Boggy Thicket.  One that I could certainly do without is the big red wasps that nest in the eaves of our house.  They build their nests behind the soffit where they can't be seen and are almost impossible to eradicate.

They are also highly territorial and extremely aggressive as I was rudely reminded yesterday.

I was trimming bushes near the front door when I was attacked.  First, one landed on the top of my head, but I swatted her away.  Then she or one of her cohorts landed on my right hand and stung me on my middle finger.  

That hurts! 

I've tried to come up with words to describe the experience but I just can't.  Try to remember being stung by a bee or a yellow jacket, then multiply the feeling by twenty or so.  It definitely gets your attention.

I came in and put baking soda on the wound and took a couple of Benadryl, but my right hand swelled up to the point it looked like I was wearing a baseball glove.  I could not make a fist.

I emptied a can of wasp and hornet spray into the cracks the buggers were coming out of, but I can't honestly say whether I killed any of them at all. 

Now. twenty-something hours later, my hand is still slightly swollen but almost back to normal.

Yeah - on my list of critters I could do without, those damn red wasps would be right up there at the top of my list.

Project

I have a 1950s vintage DeWalt radial arm saw similar to the one pictured.  It has been sitting out in my barn for the last 40 years, and I think the last time I used it was about 30 years ago.

It would make a great refurbishing project for somebody.  

It would require cleaning up, lubrication, and probably rewiring. The key to the on/off switch is missing and I think the switch itself needs replacing,  but with some time and effort it could be a very valuable piece of equipment.  A quick check on Ebay showed similar models priced from about $400 to over $3000.

I don't know what it's worth as-is, but if you're interested, make me an offer.