Goliad Texas - Overcast 70 degrees
"Have you got ants in your pants?". We've all heard someone say that to a kid who is squirming around. Today it really happened to me! Being a camphost means being ready for most anything to come up. We were having a pretty leisurely day going behind campers who had checked out, making sure the site was ready for the next guest. About half the campground turned over today so we stayed busy!
I was picking up some unburned firewood from a fire ring and caught movement out of the corner of my eye. I realized too late that I had stepped on a fire ant mound next to the fire ring. The movement I saw were the soldier ants swarming over my shoe. 'Oh crap!' If you know me you know that isn't what I really muttered but this is an all audience blog.
My friend Cathy said one time about fire ants; "People will take their pants right off no matter where they are." I almost did right in the middle of the campground. Luckily I was about 8 sites away from our site and I grabbed the wasp spray and hosed down my shoe to slow them down, jumped in the truck and flew to the motor home. The jeans ended up on our steps as the ants were quickly working their way up my pant leg and were almost to my lady parts by the time I made it to the shower to wash them away. Cathy was right. I'm not sure where my jeans would have landed if I wasn't so near our site!
I have been stung by fire ants several times. Usually its a few stings on my hands or feet and they itch like heck the next day. I got lucky, the wasp spray saved me. Most of the ants that got in my pants were hit by the spray and in the process of dying so after all the panic was over I only have 10 or so stings mostly around my ankles where they got in my socks. My skin is a little irritated from the pesticide, but I'll take it compare to how it could have turned out.
We have night duty again this evening. I think no matter what happens the rest of the day, it won't be nearly as alarming as realizing 1,000 angry fire ants are marching up the inside of my right pant leg.
What's it like to be a full-time RV volunteer? "Never a dull moment!"
Until tomorrow...
I know it's not funny but the song the ants go marching one by one hurrah hurrah was going through my mind as I was reading this glad they didn't get you any worse. That would have sent me stripping and running for the lake ! the whole camp ground could have hurramed me.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny now. Especially since I didn't get stung as bad as I could have. They fester up and get really itchy the next day, kind of like chicken pox.
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