Good Samaritan backlash

[meresal]

Last night about 12:30am, FI and I were driving back from the Rockets playoff game. We had some VERY bad flooding down here by the coast. Only 4 wheel trucks could get thru most streets, probabaly 6 inches on the main street outside our complex (about an inch over the middle curbs). A woman had driven her BMW 3 series into a part of the street that she couldn't get past. I think she had been drinking and was very confused, so I got out of our F250 barefoot (4 wheel drive), that we had driven up onto the median, and waded up the street a bit to see if it got any lower. Out in the middle of the street where her car was, it was up to my mid shin. It didn't so she got in her car and made her way onto the median (somehow

) only to get stuck in the mud that had taken over all of the grass. She got stuck right next to a Dodge Ram truck that was also spinning its tires. They began talking about how to help eachother.

My feet began burning like crazy so I jumped back in the truck to find that I had fire ants all over them. It was so bad I couldn't even fall asleep last night. My toes were swollen together.

I know it won't stop me from helping in the future, but man it sucked! I assume she was drunk because she didn't even warn me about it, which means she couldn't feel it. We were standing in the same exact spots.

What good thing did you do, or how did you go out out your way to help, only for it to negatively affect you in the end?

 

[bebe]

I hate fire ants!! I have a scar on my foot from a bite years ago.
Hope you are better today. Now comes the itching and swelling from the bites.

Ants and flooding just go together. Some of the stories I''ve heard here in Houston about ants give me the shivers.
That''s awful she didn''t even feel them, they had to be all over her if that got you.
In my part of Houston, we didn''t get as much rain as Pearland, Clear Lake and that area got. I saw on the news
how extensive the flooding was. We just had some wind and a little rain.

Baby those tootsies, gotta keep ''em pretty for those knock out shoes of yours!!!!

 

[meresal]

Date: 4/25/2009 12:32:16 PM
Author: bebe
I hate fire ants!! I have a scar on my foot from a bite years ago.
Hope you are better today. Now comes the itching and swelling from the bites.

Ants and flooding just go together. Some of the stories I''ve heard here in Houston about ants give me the shivers.
That''s awful she didn''t even feel them, they had to be all over her if that got you.
In my part of Houston, we didn''t get as much rain as Pearland, Clear Lake and that area got. I saw on the news
how extensive the flooding was. We just had some wind and a little rain.

Baby those tootsies, gotta keep ''em pretty for those knock out shoes of yours!!!!

LOL!! FI kept laughing and pointing, saying that my toes looked like sausage''s.

There is NO way those things were fitting in my shoes!!

We''re in CL but down on the water, and all night FI''s friends were sending texts saying "Don''t bother coming back, you can''t get to your place." Even in our huge truck, we had to drive down the median the entire way. Apparently it started raining about 6:30 and was still coming down hard when we finally got home, and after last weekend, it was bound to rise really quickly.

 

[luckystar112]

I was awake for the rain last night! I live in NW Houston/Spring so we didn't get any flooding, but MAN was that thunder loud! It scared me a bit...the lightning too. I've lived in Houston for close to 8 years and I'm still not used to it.
Fire ants too.....yikes. Where I'm from we had "red" ants and "black" ants. Our red ants didn't bite, so didn't think the ones down here did either. Boy was I wrong! I found that out the hard way when I laid down to tan right on top of an ant pile.

In addition to fire ants though, we also get this random weed that sprouts all over our backyard every couple of years. I think it's called "Texas stinging weed". It feels JUST like fire ants. The stems are covered with these small, delicate little sharp hairs that get caught in your skin. They obviously have some type of poison in them or something because you get the same bumps/pain as fire ants. HUGE PITA!

ETA: Just looked it up and it's "Stinging Nettle". Apparently the little needles are covered with formic acid, which is the same stuff that fire ants have. Interesting!

 

[Maisie]

You poor thing! I hope your feet feel better soon!

I remember we found a cell phone in the park a few years ago. We went through the numbers and called ''home'' to let the owner know we had their phone. The lived about a five minute drive from us so we offered to take the phone to them. When we got there a really rough looking man and woman stormed up to the car, snatched the phone and stormed off again. We were speechless! Not even a thank you!!

 

[vintagelover229]

Oh that sucks! I hate fire ants too! They hurt and I avoid them at all costs! My first experience with them was in scottsdale AZ when I was ~9yrs old. I was waiting to get into the pool (the gate was locked and I didnt have a key) and I was standing barefoot in the grass...and was standing in them! All the sudden my foot starts burning and I realized I was being biten! I started running around swearing (yes at 9!) and ran into my grandma house and threw myself into the bathtub to wash them off! I think the running did the trick though! Here in houston (NE houston...kingwood area) we have them ALL OVER THE PLACE! I''ve seen hills the size of houses (okay not that big but HUGE!). My husband pokes them to see them go all crazy after the stick (he drops it really quicky though). He''s gotten biten but he doesnt swell or itch...I do though!

HUGS! I hope you get better soon!

 

[bebe]

Date: 4/25/2009 1:34:17 PM
Author: luckystar112
I was awake for the rain last night! I live in NW Houston/Spring so we didn''t get any flooding, but MAN was that thunder loud! It scared me a bit...the lightning too. I''ve lived in Houston for close to 8 years and I''m still not used to it.
Fire ants too.....yikes. Where I''m from we had ''red'' ants and ''black'' ants. Our red ants didn''t bite, so didn''t think the ones down here did either. Boy was I wrong! I found that out the hard way when I laid down to tan right on top of an ant pile.

In addition to fire ants though, we also get this random weed that sprouts all over our backyard every couple of years. I think it''s called ''Texas stinging weed''. It feels JUST like fire ants. The stems are covered with these small, delicate little sharp hairs that get caught in your skin. They obviously have some type of poison in them or something because you get the same bumps/pain as fire ants. HUGE PITA!

ETA: Just looked it up and it''s ''Stinging Nettle''. Apparently the little needles are covered with formic acid, which is the same stuff that fire ants have. Interesting!

When I was much younger I used to go to my cousins ranch and ride horses. One day the horse bucked me off and I fell into Bull Nettle. Which might be like Stinging Nettle, dunno. But it is a bush that has leaves with tiny thorns/stickers all over it. My cousin told me I was going to die because the thorns were poisonous! I got back on that dang horse and rode to their house, where I spent hours pulling those thorns out!! I was in a lot of pain. Of course my cousin was joking with me, but I didn''t know.