Bee-cause It Hurts

One wheel of the lawnmower barely touches the ground, leaving the other three to passive-aggressively complain by not turning evenly. I might also mention this particular lawnmower only starts if it feels the outdoor temperature suits its purpose. Oh yeah. We also have to Velcro the throttle down so it will keep going, and other switches stopped working and have long since retired to a sunny place in Florida. We get postcards from them once in a while. Such is the situation when you purchase a used lawnmower “for little jobs.” Somehow those little jobs get pretty big and hard when the tool isn’t right.

Today I finished mowing most of the yard with our ancient but, as of yet, reliable riding lawnmower and then switched to the little beast for trim work. It was in an ornery mood from the start, and I felt like I was wrestling with a machine that had no wheels at all. Throwing my shoulders forward I pushed hard and began mowing down a short incline. Suddenly a piercing pain shot up my foot. I did a quick look to make sure I hadn’t cut off a toe or something, but discovered a bee? wasp? hornet? bouncing around on my foot. He was pissed.

I brushed the bugger off and felt the full force of the sting(s). Ow, ow, ow. I should have made a mud poultice, but I thought I’d try another natural remedy. My husband swears by a bees wax/plantain weed balm he made, so I tried that. It calmed the sting for a while, but now, three hours later, I’m hurting again.

I may try putting just the plantain juice on it to see if that works. Here’s the scoop on plantain plants from Mountain Rose Herbs: (https://www.mountainroseherbs.com)

“Plantain has been used as a panacea in some Native American cultures and with some very good reasons. Many of its active constituents show antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, as well as being anti-inflammatory and antitoxic. The leaves, shredded or chewed, are a traditional treatment for insect and animal bites and the antibacterial action helps prevent infection and the anti-inflammatory helps to relieve pain, burning, and itching.”

What are some of your favorite bug bite remedies? My foot hurts and you may just have the advice that will become the best part of my day!

P.S. Do you think the lawnmower and bee were in cahoots? Hmmmmm…