I decided to clean out the pool skimmer yesterday when I noticed it was filled with about 25 dead bees. I reached down into the water to grab the skimmer bucket…BIG MISTAKE. I was able to catch all but one bee in the bucket, and that one caught it’s stinger on the index finger of my right hand. I knew immediately that I was being stung when an unbelievable pain began to radiate down my finger! I shook the dead bee off, but the stinger remained imbedded. Severe swelling and pain continued all night, and I used every home remedy I could come up with. Finally took a Benedryl this morning and that seemed to start relieving the swelling. Moral is don’t mess with anything with a stinger attached even if it’s dead!

Man is it windy!!! I need to put the trash out at the curb, but am afraid my cans will wind up down the street. So am holding off for awhile, hoping the winds let up before I go to bed. Fortunately, have everything in the yard down or put where the winds won’t do much damage…I hope. The windstorm last weekend took down the large canopy in the backyard which is really the only thing that gives me problems during windstorms.

Have been on the phone with family almost every day for the past week or so–thank goodness I have Vonage! My sister, Sally, is in the hospital after having surgery to remove her gallbladder on Wednesday. Same surgery that I had 3 years ago, but certainly much more difficult than my experience. I was out of the hospital within about 24 hrs and back to work a week later. She wound up with an infected liver and hasn’t been able to eat until today! She expects to go home tomorrow. Her 3 dogs are spread out amongst Kelly and her daughter, Mandy. Sally will probably take one home with her tomorrow and will gradually acquire the other 2 as she recovers over the next week or so.

Finally got all the Christmas stuff crated up and stored away in the garage! 15 large crates later, I’m beginning to wonder if I have too much Christmas stuff. And that’s after I threw away a TON of old lights that no longer work! Still have a bunch of miscellaneous cleaning to do inside to get the house back in shape, but at least almost all the carnival glass and other knick-knacks have been washed and most every visible surface has been dusted really well. Will be grateful to get things organized once more so that I can begin on a few fix up projects that I don’t want to start until most everything is back to normal.

Have a new vice that is throwing a curve ball into household plans, however, called Puzzle Pirates. I could play this game for hours on end, and have to really restrict myself from logging on. Last night I was up playing until 2 am! Will be playing a bit tonight, but have to start early enough so that I don’t end up being up too late. Can’t handle being up that late on a night when I have to go to work the next day. But, boy, is this game fun!