Gordon was stung by a scorpion last night in our kitchen. His toe started swelling, so I dragged him to ER. The stings of Texas scorpions are not deadly in general, since our guys are not that venomous. You have to go to Arizona to get into serious danger. But he has never been stung before, and I wasn’t sure that if he had an allergic reaction, he would tell me about it. His default response to bleeding and other injuries is, “I’m fine.” Luckily there were three of me, as kids immediately backed me up with “Dad, go to ER with Mom right now!”
I drive him to ER in the dark. We get there and he forgot his wallet, because according to him we were all screaming at him that he was going to die. So I had Kid 1 bring his wallet while I filled out the forms and showed them the pictures of the scorpion’s corpse just in case, and they took his vitals.
Good news: he is not allergic to scorpions.
The ER person asked him if he was stung once or multiple times. Gordon said that he was stung once. The ER person asked if he thought the scorpion could sting more than once and Gordon said, “Probably. It didn’t die like a bee.”
To which, I said, “No, it didn’t die from stinging you. It died from a shoe I hit it with.”
That was apparently funny.
On the way back we got stuck waiting for the train. And waiting. And waiting. And I did that back up the vehicle, turn around and go the other way thing, which I normally do not do, because 15 minutes was enough waiting. All in all, it was a fun night, followed by close examination of the floor for additional scorpions. Another one was found and disposed off.
All is well that ends well. It seems that the test of patience is still ongoing. To give you an example, in February we ordered a new tub for master bathroom because the other one was not only broken but also badly wired. The tub has been unusable since we moved in, so after three years, I finally decided to get a nice one, the kind of tub that makes tiny bubbles and heats your water. It took a very long time to get the tub. It had to be installed, and plumbed in, and tile was placed around it. Long story short, after months of waiting, yesterday I finally got into it. It’s awesome. It has an actual shower head, so you can rinse your hair. I threw a bath bomb into it. I put hair mask on my hair.
One small problem: none of the electric functions work. They forgot to plug it and I can’t reach the cord, because they built tile around it. ::laughs:: We will see what happens today. The upgrade to scorpions was a bit upsetting, so I am hoping for something less venomous, if at all possible.
I am tired and I have the novella to edit, so, I am going to excuse myself from blogging on interesting topics today.
Please talk amongst yourselves. 🙂
Dpeedy Recovery for Gordon.
I am happy to hear that all is well. Gordon 1, Scorpions 0.
I would say Shoe 1, Scorpions 0
?
Call the railroad and complain. Texas law allows a non-moving train to block traffic for 5 minutes. If it was moving, they still have to clear the road within 10 minutes unless its an emergency.
We had quite an struggle with ticks a few years ago. (Our house is in a woods, very little lawn. All our animals took flea and tick treatments) I would get one or two just walking to the car. I have MS so having another potential tick related issue is not a good idea. Hubby had someone spray. Well, that killed everything but the black widows. Hubby sprayed one direct and he said he swore it just waved a pair of legs at him. He then found out the spray we used could poison wildlife, so that was right out.
In about a year, we were right back where we started again.
We both hit the internet and discovered that, for our area, the best option other than moving was to get chickens. I’m allergic to everything, but birds are the worst. I decided to take one for the team and said yes to chickens. (We only have 3) They are not pets–we don’t touch them unless its for routine health checks. They are free range inside a portable electric fence. Hubby built them a chicken run that’s bear proof. (We don’t have bears in Indiana.)
I was shocked at how efficient chickens are at getting rid of insects. We’ve had them two years now and I haven’t had a tick since. We also don’t get as many mice, or super large spiders. The fresh eggs are also a plus.
It was during this experiment that we found out that wrens eat paper wasp larva. we added another bird feeder to encourage them, too.
I’m glad Gordon didn’t have a bad reaction. I carry an epipen for bee stings, and those suck.
May the Drama llamas find a different pasture.
When I saw the title, I was worried about exactly what happened. Just the sting though, not the rest! I’m glad he wasn’t having an allergic reaction and will be OK. As for the tub, I hope they can get it fixed without too much destruction! A good soaking bath cures a lot of ills!
The joy of scorpions :-(, I am allergic so I can feel your fear for Gordon since you didn’t know. Glad he is OK.
I lived in the south of France and we used lavender plants on window-sills to avoid them entering houses when windows were opened. They do not like that plant.
We used to have a garden-sized jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom. But, there were multiple incidents where I settled into a nice bubbly bath, relaxed, and then…little tickling sensation. Open eyes to find a spider walking on me. Yep, those water vents were apparently a favorite home.
One attempt to drive them out ended up with me flooding the bathroom and bedroom, after leaving the water running (with bleach in it) when I got an emergency phone call-out (I was on call engineer). Long story.
Anyway, hope you get the wiring issue fixed. Enjoy your tub. But stay vigilant…
Giagantic bugs, venomous snakes, creepy lizards, and spiders the sizes of cars is why I stay north of the mason dixon line.
I have to admit. I am laughing my head off. My sisters partner is the same way. He had a bad reaction to a horsefly bite on his hand at the weekend and refused to do anything about it. My sis made him see a Dr yesterday who immediately put him on antibiotics and told him in no uncertain terms, if it wasn’t better today he was going straight to hospital for IV antibiotics. So I’m reading all that and picturing my sister and her partner and their voices. Because it is EXACTLY what he would do. He’s ex military too, maybe a theme?!
Just a warning in case Gordon gets stung again (I hope not!): an allergic reaction may not occur the first time you are exposed to an allergen. So the first time you are stung by a scorpion, you may have only pain and redness from the sting. If you are stung again, you may have hives or trouble breathing. This is caused by the response of the immune system. This is why the first time you get the Covid vaccine you don’t get sick, but the second time you do. Your system is now primed for a response. So don’t assume that Gordon does not have an allergy; he may develop one. I’m not trying to scare you; just making sure you know the facts.
This is unlikely, but just in case… Jetted tubs seem to require being wired to a GFI outlet that hasn’t anything else on it, or at least that was what I was told when I bought a brand new house in 2004. Is it possible the installers rewired the nearest non-GFI outlet, tested it, and left it tripped?
Source: 1st night in new house after a long 4 days of painting, moving, and cleaning the old apartment, all while promising myself that bath. Fill, add neat oils and salts, light candles, ease in, push button and… nothing. I checked breakers, GFIs, everything. Turned out there was an outlet in my closet (huh?), it was GFI, and the inspector left it tripped. 17 years later, the exhausted disappointment is still vivid in my memories.
I hope whatever it is is fixed with a minimum of fuss and bother!
I’m sorry to hear about the sting, bites and stings are never fun, regardless of the cause.
Unsolicited trivia: if you have access to a UV light, scorpions will fluoresce under it, and it can help you find if you have any others. Especially at night, if you cut the lights both inside and outside so you can get an understanding of how bad of a problem it may really be.
Glad Gordon is okay. Sorry about that tub though.
I’m so sorry, those bites are painful. I live in Arizona and yes been stung about 5 times. I’ve learned they don’t like lavender so I use the essential oil mixed with water in a spray bottle around my house due to the fact most pesticides are dangerous for my fur babies. I how he is feeling better.
As someone who is currently making a bathroom where there wasn’t one before you have my utmost sympathy. On the plus side I can now tile a bathroom.
You mean he didn’t wrap it in a paper towel and ducktape…
My daughter wants to move to Australia and I keep pointing out everything in Australia tries to kill you. I told her to stay in TN where it’s safer. I apparently need to add Texas to the list lol.
Only if you live in the bush – plus really good gun laws, so no people shooting at you. That’s a big plus.
There are times I’m grateful I live in Vermont. This is one of those times. Scorpions would freeze their nasty butts off here. Poor Gordon. Luckily for him he’s married to a warrior woman with the Shoe of Doom! You deserve all the fizzy baths ever.
I feel your pain on the tub. I’ve been without a bathroom for three weeks now (I have a half bath with a toilet, or I’d have moved by now). I’ve resorted to using the camper showers at the county park. And then, because that place is filled with about 10k mosquitoes, I go home and wash my hair in the sink. $159 for a night at a hotel and a hot tub is looking better and better.
I’m hoping the plumbing and tub- shelf- thing that the tub sits in (I know there’s a name for it) will be done this weekend. It was supposed to be a simple remodel, thought we’d have it done in no time. When we pulled up the tile and concrete (no, not mortar. Concrete, about 2.5 inches of it) we found out it was the only thing holding the floor together. The wood (sub floor) was so rotten it was coming apart in layers like paper. It couldn’t be walked on. It’s a miracle the floor didn’t collapse. I know the house was built over a hundred years ago, but what in the world were they thinking? I could go on, but now we have new joists, that actually sit on the bearing wall, and a new subfloor that probably won’t let us fall through to our deaths (or broken legs at least). And eventually I’ll have a 6 ft 32 inch deep soaker tub, and a place to store my toiletries and towels. If I ever move I’m building a new house. I love old houses, but now I know why there are building codes.
Geez! Glad Gordon is okay.
Sorry to hear about the tub – and the wait and work while it is fixed.
It will be that much better when all is working. God Bless!
Some years ago, a city near where I lived was invaded by a horde of Scorpions. The bright Mayor decided to distribute chickens to each family (apparently It is the scorpion natural enemy). But, most part of the people were so poor that they ate the chickens! Luckly, a few weeks later, the scorpions left the same way they arrived….but Mr Mayor was very upset ..seems that he can keep a chicken grudge….
Glad Gordon is ok…and Ilona’s shoes are more effective than chickens…
Sorry that Gordon was stung by that nasty little scorpion! I have never been stung, but a friend, who lives in Central Oregon, has been and she said that it hurts like hell.
Hope bath time goes better tonight and that you get to enjoy all of the perks in your new tub.
Love the video!
I was looking through the comments and realized that in the middle of writing one is a bad time to get distracted.
My apologies. I didn’t mean that what happened with the scorpion was funny – I meant that what you said about it was.
I swear some years it doesn’t pay to get out of bed. Heck even some decades. We are fighting a failed septic system and at this point scorpions don’t look so bad. Lets hope we all survive with our minds and bodies intact.
The poison that scorpions have is very similar to Bee or Wasp poison, its chemical composition is Acid and can be cancelled by a strong Base. Keep a bottle of Ammonia in your cabinet and just poor some over the bite and all pain will go away almost instantly. I was a Medic in the Army stationed in VietNam and the ammonia solution worked on the Scorpions found there, so I pretty sure that it will work on Texas scorpions.
So glad Gordon is ok and you killed the other scorpion b4 it stung someone!
I’m in TX too, but its too humid for them in Houston. Just poisonous snake here!
Hang in there and I hope you finally get your bathtub working!
What would happen if there was one day that all was calm, no drama, the kids were at peace and so were the fur babies?
Glad he went to the ER. Not to make this about me, but to support you forcing home to go, here’s my story.
I have an “accelerated” reaction to Texas Fire Ants. I didn’t know this until I got bit. My husband, also a former military-paper towel-duct tape will fix it kind of guy, forced me to go to the ER. By the time we got there my wrist was so swollen there was no definition between my hand and arm.
Happy editing! We look forward to reading the results.
I am glad Gordon is okay. Happy that the shoe was effective ????. I do not like creepy crawlers, so I would have been freaking out. Hopefully the tub will be an easy fix.
Loved the Emperor’s New Groove link
Scorpions really freak me out. It’s like God said, Okay imma take the freakiest bits from a wasp and a spider, and I’m going to put those on a lobster with a semi-prehensile butt. Good luck.
Glad Gordon is not allergic.
One of my archeologist friends tells me that in Egypt the black scorpions are alomst ignored because it is the smaller green ones that can be lethal. They are an apparent peril on excavation sites, particularly in the Valley of the Kings
Just a note: Sometimes scorpions are imported along with a load of masonry. So if you receive a load of rocks, slate, bricks, tiles, etc., be aware.
When I was tiny my folks moved us to Gabs, NV… or near it in the desert somewhere. The story goes that I had my shoes on all day (I must have been two?) and at the end of the day mom took off my shoes and a scorpion crawled out. I was not stung.
We also had a dog that was part coyote and he would circle us yhe entire time whenever we went out to play. Good dog.
You all are having some interesting times with contractors and repair people lately. *side-eye*
Also, at least it wasn’t the scorpion from that old b&w horror flick.
Growing up in Canada I’d play with the harmless daddy long legs, so when I moved to Australia years later I had to learn some respect for their not-so-friendly spiders, especially after I was bitten by a tiny scorpion in Tasmania. It felt like how I imagine a cigarette burn would feel.
I did have a favourite – the huntsman! The biggest one I saw, on a visit to friends on a bush property, was about four inches across. Lots in the cities too: in Melbourne I had a little huntsman living in a corner of my car. Never could get rid of it, but we didn’t bother each other.
I quickly learned that the best way to garden there was pants, long sleeved shirts & gloves. Shoes & socks, no sandals. No point in tempting the ants! And pick up rocks, bricks etc facing away from yourself, so any critters underneath run away, not towards!
Yet another reason I will never, ever, ever move to Texas. No offense guys, and I’m really glad that Gordon is okay, and that you are so deadly with a shoe.
I’m wondering if this bathtub was purchased while “reseaching” ideas for Julie’s bathtub in Blood Heir. I remember reading that paragraph slowly thinking, momma needs one of those. ????
Thank you for waiting at the crossing then backing up and finding another crossing. I retired from railroad service and have seen several crossing incidents where people tried to go around the railroad gates and did not make it. Fun fact, the railroad owns the right of way at crossings and if the train did everything correctly you or your estate can be sued for trespassing and damage to rail property.
This type of thing makes me really glad I live in boring old England (though there have been a few colonies of tiny yellow tailed scorpions about for over a century).
Yes it would be nice to see a wider variety of wildlife but I’ve always preferred it to stay outside where it belongs – I have enough trouble catching false widows (bit my arm, the cheeky madam) and daddy long legs (my worst nightmare, bouncing around with wings and spindly legs, ugh) if we had more poisonous varieties I’d need a much bigger glass and way longer arms!
It’s weird because outside I will happily hold beetles, bees, frogs, pretty much anything (still not spiders but I will peer closely, there are some beauties) but once they’re trying to come into my home uninvited *shudders*
It’s just not on. At least if you visit me make sure you know how to leave by yourself.
I don’t understand why they left you without nearby access to the electrical plug when you would be dealing with an appliance that involves both electricity and water. A situation could arise in which you might need to immediately shut down the system. Preferrably, without having to hike to the basement for the breaker box.
Hate-hate-hate scorpions!
If we ever bite the bullet and leave our TX home forever, it will be because of scorpions. We wear shoes in the house, and we moved the bed out from under the ceiling fan because–wait for it–a scorpion dropped onto my husband in bed almost three decades ago and so even though hot flashes increase ambient temperature by 10 degrees at night if the master bedroom door is shut, I am not sleeping under the ceiling fan. Rest is not restful when in the middle of the night one’s beloved jumps from the bed and yells, “Something stung me!” That was his first scorpion encounter.
Btw, I was five feet from the bed, screaming equally loudly, “Scorpion! Scorpion! Scorpion!” The bugger was under the sheet, apparently settling in for a long winter’s nap.
My Dad was on his way being shipped to the Far East when Japan surrendered in ’45. They were diverted to Palestine, then a Mandate of the UK. According to him, every morning they would all check aka empty their boots because scorpions liked the dark and damp aspect. He explained that the procedure then was to pour a ring of flammable liquide around the scorpion, light it and that would cause the scorpion to sting itself to death. That said, he never explained whether the fire thing was from personal experience or an untested urban legend.
The picture for this post – I just noticed the fly sitting up on the leaf, carefully out of reach of the scorpions, but also apparently watching them. Made me snicker.
I am so sorry about the scorpions. Sadly, they are pretty much everywhere.
I live in South Carolina, and we have to check the edge of doorways in sheds because scorpions the size of cockroaches like to hang out there. Sometimes, they come in the house via the plumbing as well.
I thought I had lost my mind the first time I saw one. I mean… SC?! … I expect them in hot desert or rocky climates but not the humid southeast USA.
I’m suddenly really okay with the bitterly cold climate I live in for half of the year. The worst thing I have had to battle in my kitchen is the desire to eat an entire bowl of mousse. (Which I lost.) Congratulations on having a nice bath, let’s just be grateful for small pleasures–even if they are not electrified.
+1000 Three cheers for Canadian winter 🙂
Love, love, LOVE, The Emperor’s New Groove!
Hate scorpions near where I live.
A pox on inefficient bath tub installers!
I am now wondering if the transformed cow would like living in Unicorn Lane …
We had scorpions BAD in New Mexico. I was terrified of them, and had two kids under age three in the house. I found out after we moved that Food Grade Diatomaceous Earth works wonders against them, and pests in general. Non-toxic to humans and animals,but must be applied in a manner that people and pets will not inhale the dust on application. I wish I would have known about it, something you may wish to look into. Best wishes to you all!
Hehehe LoL smile sorry I know that it was stressful. But I laughed.
Thank you, Ilona Andrews, for the post.
Thank goodness it was not serious. I have bad reaction to ER visits now as my Dad took my BIL after he got bit on foot by an unknown spider. Dad passed out in waiting room and ended up hospitalized with bone cancer. BIL was fine as it was non poisonous spider.
Better safe than sorry and dead. You never know. Just ask the knucklehead pup that lives with me and loves to catch flying entities.
TIL that there are tubs that heat their own water. I have a new life goal.
I have heard that the Diatomaceous earth works well for scorpions. Looked it up and learned that Diatomaceous earth powder dehydrates and kills scorpions and other insects by infiltrating their exoskeleton or through ingestion, a process that can take several days. Diatomaceous earth is safe for humans and pets.
We have lived in Arizona for 40 years and keep our house pretty bug free by having the exterminator come in once a month. We learned from him that the scorpions were breeding in all the junk in a neighbor’s yard. They would wander over to our place when the weather got too hot. We never got stung thank goodness.
Spiders are one reason I will not own patio furniture that has cushions. We found several black widows in our patio chairs. Now we have patio furniture that can be hosed off and will dry in a few minutes.
My first scorpion sting was in OK, between my toes, also in the house. Did not seek medical attention and woke in the middle of the night with that side of my body paralyzed and my mouth feeling like it was full of cotton. I could not call for help. Eventually fell asleep and woke feeling fine, but it was one of the scariest experiences of my life.