BRING ON THE FIRE HOSE!!

When is a fire not a fire?  No, I didn't burn my house down with my cooking, but I'd like to take a stab at burning my entire back yard.  I think we talked about this once before.  This entire county is built on top of ant hills.  When you purchase property, there is small print ... VERY small print ... that tells you that little known fact.

Normally, they are just those little sugar ants which are no big deal.  Yesterday we had an event of epic proportions which cancelled my travel plans and today I go to WAR!!

Like a little 6 year old, I thought it would be funny to cover up the three big openings into this ant nest with grass.  I mean completely cover it up.  Within two hours, there wasn't a single blade of grass to be seen.  Wow ... industrious little buggers.

So what would a little kid do?  I covered them up completely with sand and tamped it down nicely.  Maybe they will go away.  Sadly, that didn't happen.  I guess I just made them mad.  My first line of defense was the can of ant spray.  An ENTIRE can.

Two hours went by and they were back at it, not caring a wit that the sand was soaked in poison.  I finally left them alone.  BIG mistake!!

At about 12:00 I let the puppies outside.  In a few seconds, even though he didn't go anywhere near the ant hill, Cooper had his leg in the air and was literally crying.  I raced over thinking he must have been stung by a wasp.  They sometimes lay in wait in the grass.

I checked his foot and grabbed a bag of ice.  In fifteen minutes he was no better, so I went digging in his foot.  There was one of those HUGE ants, about a quarter inch long.   I dug it out and smashed it on the couch, but not before another one on his fur BIT ME!!

Cooper could not be consoled.  He refused to put his foot down and wouldn't lay down so I could ice it some more.  I finally had to carry him for about thirty minutes before sitting down.  By then, my arm was screaming because someone was sticking a sharp knife deep into the tissue.  Good heavens ... is this what Cooper is feeling?  I almost cried.

I laid him on my stomach and held him tight as his foot twitched.  Another hour and he fell asleep.  TWO hours later as the screaming pain in my arm began to recede, Cooper finally woke up and tried to walk.  At last he put his foot down and walked over to get his ball.  My sweet little boy was okay.

I on the other hand, have a huge red welt on my arm that still feels like there's a knife in there.  I'm thinking those must be fire ants.

This morning, the war begins.  Since I don't have any gasoline, my weapon of choice, I'm going for bleach.  I'm not sure it's going to work, but I'll try anything.  I would call the County, but they are of course, closed down.  If the bleach doesn't work, I'll go buy a gas can.  I'm not letting my kids gets bit again!!

So much for my foray into the outside world.  I spent the rest of the evening finishing up this lap quilt.  Gee ... only NINE more quilts to go!!

I'm heading for my cowboy boots and my bottle of bleach.  Wish me luck!!

By the way, I'm curious.  Are alcohol and marijuana essential in your neck of the woods?  Funny that those businesses were never shut down.  Just wondering.