Wasp Warpath

 

Sometimes I start up Mrs. Billingsley's car just to keep the battery charged.  Sometimes I drive it to the store.  A couple of weeks ago, I decided that I should start up her car.  I was going to put down the windows when I noticed a zillion red wasps swarming the driver's side window trying to get me.  Oh.  I took the car for a ride and after about a mile I had lost them.  Then I went home and parked the car in a different spot, hoping to confuse the rest of them.   

Today I decided to do some chores.  Take out the trash, start Mrs. Billingsley's car, and let it charge for a while, and start a load of laundry.  I supposed this would take ten minutes or so.  

All hell broke loose out in the yard.  I first took out the trash, and noticed some paper lying in the driveway.  When I tried to pick it up, I stepped in an anthill.  How could this be?  Didn't I just put out ant granules?  I guess I missed a spot.  

I tossed out the trash,  and went inside to retrieve the key to the car, still rubbing my ant bites.   I usually like to get the car turned on in hot weather before closing the door, so the air conditioning can start working and I can roll down the windows.  So I turned on the car and was glad it started right away.  After around 30 seconds it looked like the coast was clear with the wasp attacks, so I rolled down the windows.  Suddenly a swarm of wasps came out.  I leapt out of the car and managed to get to the house without being bitten.  And there I sat trying to decide what to do.  OK.  I'll take a can of bug spray and spray ahead of myself as I walk out to the car.  That worked OK, and a few wasps were harmed along the way.  I jumped inside the car and got the windows rolled back up, but the AC wasn't working very well at all, and it was too hot.  I drove down the road about a mile, and started back, thinking all was well so I could go ahead and roll down the windows.  A big red wasp immediately came and sat on the edge of the open window and tried to decide if I was the problem.  Oh horrors.   Why had I not sprayed the wasp nest a couple of weeks ago when I first found out about it?  Because I was afraid of wasps.   I guess I'm going to have to go out tonight after wasp bedtime and spray the wasp nest. 

I put the windows back up and got home again.  When I got in the house I regrouped, and decided to go put granules on the anthill.  So that anthill has been dealt with now.  

Going inside, I was very overheated again from all the yard mischief, and saw that my 10 minute chore had taken an hour and a half.  Cheesh.