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Dave says that the story gets a bit more dramatic each time I tell it...but, I swear to you this is exactly how it happened.

Yesterday afternoon I was dislodging the dust from the vacuum cleaner filter by going outside and gently tapping banging it against a tree.

Innocent enough, right?

Little did I know that the tree was home to an ornery swarm of yellowjackets who were very protective of their dwelling!!!

Suddenly, I was covered in angry, stinging critters.

They were stinging me through my exercise shorts....on my arms, my neck....

OUCH!

It seemed as if they were all around me relentlessly coming in for the kill! (OK, maybe I am adding a bit of drama here-but you get the picture, right?)

I went screaming into the house....yellowjackets still swarming around me....they were everywhere, including in my hair!

I ripped off my clothing and jumped into the shower in a complete state of panic.

All I could think about was: "Could I go into anaphylactic shock from their venom?" (If you do have an allergy and this occurs it will happen almost immediately)

Fifteen minutes and eight bites later, I realized that I wasn't going to die from this....

...but, it was frightening nonetheless.

I called Dave at worked and frantically asked him to look up "multiple yellowjacket bites" online. (What did we do before computers????!!!)

He began to ask me: "Can you breathe? Are you slurring your words? Are you having trouble swallowing?" "Are you feeling lightheaded?".

I was actually absolutely fine until he began to ask me these things....suddenly my mind began to think that maybe I was having these symptoms. (Funny how that happens!)

It turns out that taking the shower was a good thing....following that I did 10 minute intervals of ice on the bites....put a solution of baking soda and water on....and took two aspirin.

And, here I am, alive and well, to tell my story.

: )