Suffering for my art

OK, so maybe collecting old computers isn’t an art. But I definitely did more suffering for it yesterday than I would have expected.

Someone in Menlo Park was kind enough to give me two Apple /// systems and a lot of related software and documentation. Everything was in a shed behind his house. As he was digging in the shed, and I was standing in the doorway, I felt a sudden sharp pain at the top of my head, like an insect bite but much worse than usual. I yelped and tried to swat the critter, but whatever it was, it was already gone.

A few minutes later this happened to the back of my neck. And as I was carrying a box out to my car, some of the things flew up my shirt sleeve and pant leg and got me under my arm and on the thigh, causing me to drop the box. Fortunately it was a box of documentation, so no damage was done.

Turns out the things are yellowjackets. Apparently their nest was near the shed, and we disturbed them. Unlike bees, which normally only attack when their hive is threatened, yellowjackets will sting you just for being nearby.

It is fortunately for me that they were not bees, as I’m somewhat allergic to bee venom. But the yellowjacket stings just caused me some small welts which are now nearly gone. I had a sore belly last night which may or may not have been related, but it’s OK now.

There’s more stuff for me to pick up in the shed. My benefactor, who was also stung twice yesterday, tells me that he has sprayed something to kill the yellowjackets and has dug up and removed their nest.
I’ll head back over there on Wednesday.

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