I woke up sore this morning on the couch at Ticky's black river camp. The day before it was at Burners home. I've been on the road all week with three different beds in four nights. It's a modest trailer set back into the woods to replace the original camp his Dad, 'Whiskey Bill', built back in the 30's. I had helped him yesterday skid some trees out of the woods that he had cut down last week. The whobbly tree escapade. It was my job to attach a chain to the sticks of wood and he would pull them out with his ATV. It was hard work in the dense woods. It is always a good deed to help a friend with firewood and as you will read I ended up getting a favor done for me later.....
Ticky didn't drink coffee so I headed out about 9 for town on a glorious summer morning. I was cruising along when I met a wasp coming the other way and he stung me in the upper lip. Wammmmm. I picked out the stinger and didn't even stop. It only took minutes for it to start swelling and I'm telling you it hurt. Throb. Throb. Throb. My eyes started watering and my nose began running and I was afraid to stop because I figured the pain would be worse standing there thinking about it....
I'm getting tired of enduring pain. My recent collarbone fracture tested my limits and I want to cry but I don't. I think being a Marine plays into that too. So, I plodded on and hit the old railroad grade turned ATV trail and my right rear tire sprung a leak. Must have hit a nail. I babied it the rest of the way to town where I parked it and went into the Pine Grove for a hard earned java to fornulate a plan. I love making plans. I had planned on going home and taking a nap in my bed for a change.....
I was whining with a lisp to a guy who I didn't know pleading my plight concerning how I would have to park Blue until I could get it to the only tire repair place called the Busted Knuckle. I don't make up these names folks. Unfortunately, it was down the road a mile or so and I knew I would ruin that tire driving it there so I went for another cup of coffee and plan B. My new friend said he had to go and 7 patrons said bye in unison and that's the way it is in Republic...
I went back out to see Blue and circled it like I could fix my problem and get me 'home country roads'. A crowd started to gather like it does in a small town and I like that too. "I got a compresser in my truck, eh. We can pump it up and see where the hole is". Allright. Then the guy who left the bar came back with a patch kit and his compresser. Wow. One guy put air in the tire and the other one found the hole and plugged it with one of those fancy dandy tire fixer plugs.....
And just like that I was back in business. I could almost hear Blue's carburator 'sigh'. With that resolved I realized my lip was still throbbing to beat the band. It had taken a more important crisis in my Easy life to make me forget about it....
You know the moral of the story, eh? Good deeds are rewarded...
FYI: Wasps have a very bitter taste.....
Easy.....
