Attacked by yellow jackets!

One fine sunny Saturday afternoon, this past weekend, Laughing Fox took the little ones to play at Yankee Horse Ridge, on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Stormy had an itchy foot and went down to the creek to wash it off.  Seconds later, Laughing Fox saw a 6 foot cloud of yellow jackets behind her!!  He picked her up and ran to the car with her, yelling “Get in the car, we’re under attack!!” to the others, but not before they had descended upon them both.  Stormy’s hair was a nest of angry jackets, and Tenderfoot was swatting them off her while Fox went back to gather up Little Bird.  Then they raced home.  Ouch ouch  Ouch!!

When they got home, ten minutes later, Stormy had 30 stings on her head and a few on her body.   Fox had been stung all over his neck, and Little Bird’s eye was swollen up where she’d been stung too.  I gave them all Apis homeopathic tablets and set to work scraping off the stingers.  Stormy had a swollen lip and she had bundled herself in a shawl and was lying down quietly.  She didn’t have any swelling other than her lip but was experiencing great pain on her head and crying out deliriously every 15 minutes or so about the burning on her head.  I put her in a shallow bath of lukewarm water with vinegar, baking soda, and epsom salts, which I poured over her head.  This did nothing for the pain and I remembered a tube of homeopathic SSting SStop that I had, so rubbed that all over her head.  It must have worked because she fell asleep in my arms.

We cuddled all night, with Stormy waking frequently to drink water and tell me stories about Laura and Mary (from Little House on the Prairie), before going back to sleep, only to wake over and over through the night for more hugs and kisses and rubs and cuddles.  It was a long hard night for us, and we awoke exhausted the next day, but Stormy seemed fine . …the first thing she said was, “Mama my head doesn’t hurt anymore but it feels funny.”  Little Bird’s eye was still swollen and Laughing Fox was no longer pale, spaced out, and near to collapsing but very very itchy on his neck.  Everyone took Ledum homeopathic remedy and more SSting SStop.  Stromy napped in the afternoon and slept very soundly last night.

Today they’re all fine and well, though Stormy is just a wee bit pale and Little Bird’s eye is slightly puffy.  What a hair raising experience!!!  Today I got some more Ssting Sstop and next time we go into the woods I’m keeping that and some Apis on hand . … just in case :0)  An interesting thing that came out of it was that everyone wanted to hear the tale of Coyote and the Fire Stick again, so I told that and this time they seemed to really be able to identify with the three yellow jacket sisters chasing after the animal people, adding many of their own comments to the telling.  Gosh, were they hot and hopping mad those yellow jackets . . .. nothing like really seeing it for yourself I guess!