fire ant bites . . . again

Bill called me outside to ask my opinion on part of the barndominium construction. I had already been out to feed the donkeys some hay and turn the goats out to pasture, wearing my rubber mucking boots. After going inside, I switched to some slip-on sandals I wear inside — the farmhouse floors are tile over concrete slab and walking barefoot on that hardness makes my feet hurt.

Anyway, I went outside with Bill, forgetting to change shoes. And was bitten right away by those nasty, scheming fire ants lurking in the damp grass. As I knocked them off of my toes, they turned around and bit my fingers. So back to the house for antihistamines and to wash the bites with apple cider vinegar. Most of the time, the vinegar takes the burning sting out and helps reduce swelling — if it’s applied right away.

And Bill’s question? The front porch awning is held by 2 rough cedar posts. He wanted to know if I’d like the support beams painted white to match the window frames or faced with cedar. I chose the cedar facings. Our large back patio will have the same.

If you stretch the photo, you can see Switch, the adorable dog that accompanies the head carpenter each day. He is very loving and well behaved . . . until it comes to cats. He hates them and wants to attack any and all he sees. Since our outdoor cat Stubby is roaming free, Switch has to be tethered while on the job. He loves to feel like he’s contributing to the workload.