The view of College Creek from our friends’ deck. This is their little bit of heaven. Do you see the Great Blue Heron standing on the pier?
Friends invited us to sit with them on their deck overlooking College Creek yesterday afternoon.
They see all sorts of beautiful creatures in the shallows of the creek behind their home. I’ve been hearing about swans and wild turkeys, eagles, herons, turtles, and other four leggeds who snack on their garden.
So we sat in the shade and enjoyed the breeze blowing in from the water as we visited.
I went despite a sting on my right hand earned earlier in the day while trying to plant a Lantana in the wrong spot.
There was a nest of ground dwelling stinging insects right where I tried to dig. Probably yellow jackets, there was no apparent warning before the sharp pain in my hand. One stung, right through my gardening glove.
I’m never afraid of bees or wasps. In fact, I kept bees for several years once upon a time.
Always respectful of them, we generally coexist peacefully. And would have yesterday had I known of their nest in advance.
But, I heard their buzzing after the shooting pain; and dropped my spade and skedaddled into the house to assess what had happened.
The puncture was small, and the immediate pain mostly washed away under cold water and a poultice of baking soda, which draws out the venom.
I went out to finish what was in progress (well away from where I had been working) and to clean up. But, unlike with most stings, this pain just kept spreading.
It has been an interesting time since.
Our friends gave me ice for the hand, and Merlot for the spirit. An excellent prescription.
We had a good visit catching up with one another, while watching swans, lizards, fishing Osprey eagles and a beautiful Great Blue Heron.
They shared their little bit of heaven with me.
But my hand is still reacting to whatever venom chased me away from the underground nest of stinging creatures. It is swollen and sore. Not much good for typing at the moment.
And Benadryl, while helping the swelling in my hand, leaves the rest of me a bit foggy. Summer here often feels like an endless succession of bites and stings.
I was happy to hear the rain this morning, which meant the entire garden was watered nicely without any participation from me. And more is on the way.
I hope you enjoy these photos from Sunday afternoon along College Creek. And I hope your weekend was also spent with friends and loved ones doing the things you most enjoy.
Osprey Eagle seen yesterday on the James River
Photos by Woodland Gnome 2014
Forest Garden 
What a delightful day you had (with the exception of the painful hand). I hope you are mending quickly now. Thanks for sharing the wonders of College Creek and the joy of being with good friends.
Very good friends, indeed! And I am so fortunate to be invited over from time to time to share the view and interesting conversation. The hand is mended now, so I was back out in the garden this morning playing catch up. Another delightful day here today. Did you get storms this evening? We got rain, but the storms skirted past around us. Best wishes, WG
Bummer bout the sting. Hope you’re all better today. Wine does help : ) Your pics of the swans are so uplifting. Needed that right now. Thanks
The swans waited to come out until the very end of our visit. We knew they were just out of sight, and my friend kept leaning over the rail looking for them. We were so happy when they swam around to where we could see them, and I’m so happy you enjoyed the photos of them. Hand is improving, yet still a bit swollen. May all be well with you. WG
Hope your stung hand gets better soon! We use tobacco on stings and bites. It’s an old Appalachian remedy, and even though neither of us smokes we keep pipe tobacco here just in case. We wet it and place it on the sting or bite and then place a bandaid over it. Other than the sting it sounds as if you had a lovely afternoon.