TRAUMA!

Christian and Andrew have picked up their first paying job -- mowing the lawn next door. Their first time doing the job turned out to be a memorable one. The house is for sale, but is vacant, and with the drought we've been having, critters (fire ants, yellow jackets, etc.) have taken over the yard. As Christian was using the weed whacker to trim around the landscape, a yellow jacket came from apparently nowhere and stung him on the arm. Consequently, he dropped the running machine and ran into our house where we promptly iced the spot.

We went back over a few minutes later to check on the running weed whacker. There it was, lying in the grass, still running, with a SWARM of yellow jackets attacking it. We figured he must have disturbed a nest. Fortunately, at the angle it was laying at, the engine wasn't getting gas and it sputtered out about an hour later.

That evening after dark, I (Tom was on a trip) went over to the house with a flashlight to try and find the source. I located a hole in the ground just to the left of the weed whacker, which would have been right where Christian was standing. So, the yellow jacket really did come out of nowhere! Tom returned from his trip two days later and filled the hole with water mixed with detergent, and we haven't seen a yellow jacket since.

Oh, the hazards of yard work!