A "Leisurely" Evening Stroll

I had been at home most of the day with the two younger boys and their colds. We had been taking it pretty easy. We snacked. We played "Sorry". We watched video. After dinner I thought maybe Ben should get out of his pajamas and we should go somewhere and do something. Why not get ice cream and then go for a hike??

Great plan. We drove out to the ridge where my father's parents lived. I knew there would be a beautiful view and if it had been mowed we could easily hike to the top. Lucky break because the grass had not only been mowed but had been raked into lovely rows soaking up the September sun and awaiting the baler. We happily hike. The view is great even though a bit obscured by the overly mature trees around the edges of the field. I even smiled as Ethan and Ben bowled Osage orange balls down the hill remembering doing the same thing as a kid.

Things were going so well and we saw the farm house over the tall grass. "Can we go to the house?" "Sure."

We venture around the barn, teeter across the telephone pole on the ground, look both ways even though it is sparsely travelled, cross the dirt road and head to the big house. We admired the grounds and headed around back to the grape arbor. Ethan tried to swing on the hammock (a big no no if Grandma was looking out the window) fell off and declared "I think I broke a bone." He didn't. After what came next he quickly forgot the pain from that ordeal.

Next scene Will poking a stick in the ground. Chaos as Ethan starts screaming that something is biting him. Will starts screaming. I can't see anything. Kevin yells, "BEES". We all start running across the yard. They are hanging on. Ethan still screaming. Stripping off his shirt. They are still hanging on our clothes and trying to sting us. "RUN." We head up the road. Ethan still screaming. Will crying. Ben running. We make it halfway up the road as we try to get back to the van. Bees are still on my pants and jacket and Kevin's shirt. We start stripping off our clothes. Kevin rips Ethan's sock off because there is one still biting him. "KEEP RUNNING."

"Take the baby." I yell because I am out of shape and I was slowing down. Will was distraught because we left his satin Cleveland Indians jacket laying in the road. My soccer boys, Ethan and Ben are in pretty good shape and ran the entire half mile to the van. Ethan was running on gravel with one shoe off.

We finally made it and applied medicine to Will's bite on his right cheek and to all FIVE of Ethan's bites. Everyone calmed down and we buckled Ethan in his car seat in his underwear because of the two bites on his back.

I can only imagine what the white truck that passed me thought as I was retrieving the clothes we littered up the hill.

Everyone is fine and sleeping soundly perhaps due in part to a dose of benadryl.

"We're supposed to get ice cream after we get stung but we already got some tonight." says Ben.

Crazy crazy night. All for a stroll down memory lane and some fresh air.

"I wish we were made of wires and when bees try to sting us we sting them back." says Ben.