Ever since Sunday, when we found that very badly wounded dog, I have been out of sorts. On Monday, whilst I was at the Alberca, getting water for some goats that live on the land opposite (goats that never have any water available to drink), I got stung 4 times by a wasp. Once on my left eyelid and 3 times on my upper left arm. The eye was the most painful.
But after putting vinegar on it, then an onion (which has wonderful drawing out powers), followed by some propolis, the pain started to subside. That night my eye and arm was so itchy, but that didn't worry me, as itchiness is generally a good sign. Tuesday morning I awoke, to a very swollen eye, I was barely able to open it. But as the day went on, it opened more and more. But the itchiness continued.
That's the Alberca behind the fence. It holds water, that is used to irrigate the land.
Scratching my arm was easy, my eyelid, well that was a very different story. It was so tender, that even touching it was painful, let alone trying to scratch it.
So off I went to bed that night, with an very itchy eye, it took me quite a while to get to sleep. When I did, I had crazy dreams, which is kind of to be expected. That at 3 a.m I shot up in my bed, as I felt a stabbing pain in my right leg. My hand went to the site of the pain immediately and then I felt the same pain on my upper thigh.
I reached for a light and switched it one, to see two small bit marks on each area where I had been bitten and it was swelling up already. I squeezed either side in case their was any venom inside, hoping to get some of it out and stopped only when it started to bleed.
I looked around to see what it was that had bit me, but I could find nothing. I shook out all my bed clothes, but nothing was there.
Then I grabbed some vinegar and and poured it on the bites, I was really wrecking my head trying to think what it was. In the meanwhile I also made a paste with green clay (which also has wonderful drawing our powers) and put it on both of the sites.
There was no way I could sleep knowing that whatever had bitten me was still inside the truck. Anytime anything touched against me, like a fly or something I almost jumped out of my skin. Eventually I fell alseep, but at 6 a.m I awoke to my youngest daughter screaming and crying.
I grabbed her from her bed and brought her to mine. Then I checked I all over and found that she too had been bitten on her leg. I already had the vinegar and clay paste by my me bed, so I was able to help her. Then I just held her in my arms till she fell asleep.
Then I was on a mission to find this creature that bit us. I found it under her bed, it was a scolopendra. They are a member of the centipede family and are the largest in Europe. I had heard of other people being bite by them and they had told me how painful it was.
I found a large metal bowel and put it on top of the scolopendra, with the heaviest book I could find on top of that. (You can never be too careful.) Then I got back into the bed. I was exhausted, but before I knew it, it was time to get up.
With some help from some friends we got it out of the truck and back into nature. But it has made me a little paranoid, about what else could possibly be lurking in my truck. There is only one way in and that is up some steps, so that little bugger must have been very determined to get inside.
As a result of all of this, I have had very little energy today. I have spend a lot of time resting, as my leg hurts when I bend it. Lying there, I was thinking if the universe is trying to tell me something. Or maybe even remind me of something.
I do believe, that each day we given opportunities in which to learn, that every painful experience is a lesson. I am still trying to figure this out out, to be honest. If anything it is certainly making me sit still. Perhaps it's a test to see how serious I am, about starting the animal rescue centre.