I decided that I would mow the side of the hill at CLM close to the playground. They gave me a 220 electric mower with a 300 ft cord spliced in several places. (By the way, only three wheels worked...but I was up for the challenge.) Trying not to get electrocuted or lose any toes, I took my time. Things were going great until about halfway when out of nowhere, I hit something metal. All of a sudden water gushed up from the ground in a geyser. I was soaked (remember the 220 electric?) and a little scared and confused. Who puts an exposed waterline on a hill side? While I was standing there with a dumb expression on my face, I felt a searing pain shoot up my leg. Thinking I was getting shocked, I ran for my life. The pain did not stop! I then realized that I was standing on a hill of fire ants. They had gone up my leg when I stopped mowing. After a culturally offensive dance, I was able to get them all off. When I thought it couldn't get any worse, I saw one of the older boys running at me wide-eyed with his shoe in his hand. Once again...dumb expression on my face as he hit me VERY hard on my back. All I understood was "VERY DANGEROUS." I didn't want to know what he had just killed on my back so instead I asked him where the water line went. And in perfectly understood Portuguese he said..."your house." After 3 hours of plumbing work, I finished the mowing just before dark. Not learning my lesson, I tried to do another good deed and prepared a Mexican dinner for Mary with hot peppers from our garden. While relaxing after dinner, I realized that I had been bitten several times during my mowing experience by the dreaded "borrachudos." (Brazilian mosquitos on steroids) I went to scratch a persistent bite right below my eye, not realizing that I had some pepper residue on my hand. I felt like my eye was on fire. I rushed to the bathroom medicine cabinet for my tube of eye gel. With my blurry vision, I threw off the cap and squeezed it into my eye...but much to my dismay, the burning intensified. Who knew that my cold sore medicine was in an identical tube as my eye gel?!
5 comments:
Well, sounds like just another typical Mike Cochran day! Sorry for your trouble but thanks for the laugh. Hope all is better with the bites and the eye. :-)
Glad you were willing to share. Your story was highly entertaining! Probably less fun to experience. Blessings over your next "good deed".
OH MY GOSH! We were cracking up laughing! Glad you're okay tho. Remember my little incident with pepper residue in my eyes and on my contacts? I can only imagine how much pain you were in! We are gearing up for the big Hawaii trip in July! You're in our prayers and thoughts. Bret & Tracy & the girls ;0)
Ouch, ouch and ouch!! I am sorry you had such a painful experience! Thank you for sharing it with us! Take care and get well soon!
So sorry you had to go thru all that pain...and the rest of us get to laugh about it! What a day! I hope you're all better now though...did you ever find out what was on your back?
Kathi & Mike
Post a Comment