Backyard stingers

I'm working right now on my Shubuta, MS/Hanging Bridge research while scratching SEVEN yellow jacket bites. Yesterday, after I picked up my son from daycare, we threw his ball around outside and then my husband came home. At that point, I tried to round up Daniel, but he was admiring the neighbor's A/C unit in back of our yard. The property line between their house and ours is divided by scrub brush, twigs, old pots, old firewood -- general nature trash. Then Daniel starting asking for ice and I assumed a mosquito had bitten him, and where was his ball? As I soothed him and looked for the ball -- the swarm descended. The stings began in my shoulders, stomach, legs and left wrists. I didn't know where they were all coming from and the little buggers were sticking to my clothes and Daniel was clutching his ear. Big white mounds with blood red tips soon formed. Now he was really screaming and I wanted to scream too. Thankfully, I protected him from the worst, but they got me pretty bad and I'm allergic to wasps, bees, bugs, etc. We're talking a 6-inch swollen mark on my wrist and two huge welts on my stomach. In fact, my bites woke me up at 5am, so I got some schoolwork done. Ouch! Maybe Daniel won't go in the backyard today.

So, as I'm doing the Shubuta/lynching bridge research there's a lot of contradiction. I thought that the Hanging Bridge had a historical marker on it, but it doesn't -- another one does that is its sister. Hopefully, my Shubuta friend, Jerry, will help me figure some of this out. But, he did send me his book and a good photo of the Hanging Bridge. It looks kind of scary to cross, with an overhead metal span and it's maybe 50 feet from the Chickasaway River -- which I know floods.

Today, I'm getting my website done - wish me luck. This is a completely new enterprise for me. I'm also picking up my chapbook, "Ghostcards" from the printer today, and I'm nervous because maybe they didn't do it right or maybe I made a major editing gaffaw. Well, we'll see how it goes. Only $5 (that's $2 off the cover price if you're reading this blog).

Till next time,
Alice "I need some itch cream" Osborn