Did too much Deet spray land Chuck in the emergency room ?
By Chuck Wiser, I write the words to share what my eyes see and my heart feels
All the way through public school we heard about the 3-W’s and that did not include: Wiser’s Wrambling Writing’s. The chemicals and products company 3M would blush with my “proliphicy” (this week’s new word) in the use of the letter that they only found 3 uses for. “My memory in particular, made many mundane memorable moves more marvelous and miserable Monday…maybe,” But Tuesday, I gave the memory muscles a workout it in “memorable” fashion.
As I “lay abed,” this morning, as poets would have poemed it, I had mentally composed nearly my entire Wrambling’s, writing in my head. Now my mind, as I start to write, is nearly a clean slate so I can start afresh. Like trying to remember a dream.
It is well known that for the most part, as you age, your memory, especially your short, and in my case, my “very short,” memory starts to fail. And why wouldn’t it? With a memory bank filled with nearly 80 years of wonderful memories which would you consider most precious? It would be nice to remember what my wife told me to do 10 minutes ago, but it is especially heartwarming to me to recall what she looked like in her wedding gown nearly 60 years ago. You may think that my inset picture is just for show. It isn’t! It’s a reminder of what I intend(ed) to write about as I mentally planned through the week.
My wife is a very, very private person and friends are often admonished by me for telling her what I wrote and/or, if I mentioned her. I, on the other hand, am an open book. As I continue with an autobiographical hint at what happened to me earlier this week, keep in mind that she will scalp me if you tell her what I wrote about. I’m not disclosing anything about her, but, in my writings, discussing or sharing my own activities would just as certainly raise her ire.
Let me point out that nothing said in any of the previous statements is remotely meant as a criticism of my wife but only as endearment, or out of love. Once, long ago, our Technology Department Secretary at Alfred State confronted me thinking the opposite of that when I mentioned my wife during a department meeting. Nothing said or intended on that day, or this, is, or was, meant to be, or sound like, any kind of put down. Just don’t tell her what I wrote about her or myself if our paths should happen to cross in the Giant or at Tops when she’s with me.
Preface I: Tuesday was a gorgeous day meant for yard work, golf, or any other outdoor activity on a gorgeous spring, turning to summer, day. I fired up the weed whacker/trimmer and commenced to “cut in” or trim the lawn for intended mowing either later Tuesday or the next day which was Yesterday. It was likely going to be later that day as my son had offered to take me golfing Wednesday as a Father’s Day gift.
Our house, near the banks of the Genesee River, with a mini “wildlife refuge” in between, is somewhat prone to any type of flying creature from Eagles to gnats. Gnats turned out to be the flying objects of concern that day quite unlike the “50’s adventure show that started with: “Look! Up in the sky! Is that a…” That opening didn’t end up with; It’s a Gnat?
The insects were pesty, incessant, and terrible, so I decided to apply a little (or maybe a lot) of insect spray. Despite the chemical warnings, Deet products are the most effective. I sprayed my arms, my clothes, my hat, my hair (double layer protection) and my face. I did NOT suffer a single bite or attack from any flying insects. I don’t seem to recall that, nor many other things from that day, but I may even have sprayed the garden area with Yard Guard.
Preface II: This is where the mental roads diverge into the yonder hills. After my yard work and commune with nature time outdoors Tuesday I decided to have a non-beer beverage or two.
A few months ago, a friend suggested Fireball (Cinnamon Whiskey) which I tried, and liked, so adopted that as a mixer for an occasional evening beverage. I use this as a mixer in a drink, as opposed to drinking something like this as a “shot.” I think that practice is ridiculous, as you cannot even taste what you’re drinking. I typically will mix 1/2 of a 50 Ml bottle with a 16 Oz. Bottle of Coke or Pepsi. I’m not a mixologist but that would be about half a normal sized “shot” mixed with least 3 – 4 times more in the base drink liquid, in the average bar drink. Several years ago, my social drink of choice would have been a Manhattan, wherein there was no non-alcohol mixer, except maybe a splash of cherry juice.
Long story short, a few hours after consuming a couple of “cocktails” of that mixture, I became disoriented and confused (more than normal) and my wife, concerned, took me to the ER where a battery of tests was/were performed based on my “presentation of confusion and disorientation” to them. I was picked, poked, prodded, x-ray-ed, and scanned. Despite the brain scan showing nothing, there wasn’t anything significant, including that for alcohol or drug screening, that was significant or alarming.
She hasn’t (at least to me) said it outright, but I think my wife is convinced it was an alcohol situation. I am fairly convinced that it was the effect of the deet absorbed through my skin and respiratory process. I hadn’t even considered it at the time, nor apparently had my wife or the medical staff, but I had been out in the hot sun, all afternoon, weed whacking and mowing prior to all that external and internal substance exposure, and/or how the sun and heat of the day played in.
Water under the “damn” at this point.
I guess it’s a good thing, at least for those of us that live within our own hearts and minds, that our loss, or losing of, memory, affects others more than it does us.
And now onto the Wreal Wrambling’s. Which, wremember are usually about my “wondering’s”
- You can tell when an Amazon “rep” is not politically involved nor from New York if he tells you his name is Santos, and he doesn’t have any idea what you’re talking about when you ask if he’s a politician from New York. Remember; Irony is wasted if unrecognized.
- Frustrated with Amazon’s 30-Day Return policy. 30 Days is far too short a time to determine if you are satisfied with a product or especially a gift. I’m wondering (without yet checking) if you can order something from them, as a gift, thus getting a 30-day window from the day you give it as a gift, especially if to yourself.
- I have had this discussion regarding the religious connotation in the writing of the word “God” versus the colloquial non-capitalized use of the term “god” as in saying something like “god awful” or taking the name in vain as in swearing with people in the past. I have expressed my belief in the way I used the term above. I feel that it should not be capitalized, when used colloquially as opposed to always when using the “Name” in any sense of deity, regardless of where or when it is used. It especially bothers me when capitalized in cussing.
- Why do they make Yellow (yellow) ink pens? Can you read the colored word that precedes the ( yellow) ? If you can you have super visual skills, unless Andrew published it without the color turned on, in which case this whole thread has you shaking your head. Again.
- Speaking of “threads,” how do you feel about the ones connected but unwoven in your socks. Do you find it strange that they always end up between your toes? I am convinced that they have eyes. How many times can you cut them in half or out before a hole begins?
- Am I the only one that enjoys biting into or chewing tomato seeds? Slippery little devils, aren’t they? My next product endorsement will be for Tomato Seeds to be used as sprinkles. That having been said please send me the link to them that you undoubtedly found after I went out on the limb and wrote that.
- I wanted to separate this topic for discussion from my references above that are related to Mental Health. There are certain words or phrases, that I dare say, trigger a negative thought, likely in more people than would admit. I don’t mean “negative” in the sense that you would disfavor anyone, or anything, related to the words, but when I hear the term associated with it on any “Scanner” call or tone-outs, I mentally react. See, the use of the word itself is much more “neutral” or un-concerning than to tie it in with the whole phrase. The trigger for this discussion was reading an “after-event” description in MyChart wherein my episode Tuesday night was written up as a “Mental Health Evaluation.”
It WAS in fact, as defined, but as appropriate and accurately as that term was used, it still prompted a negative reaction in me, having read it.
I confess! Sadly! When I hear a scanner call citing “Mental Health” as the nature of the call, my mind doesn’t always think of it in as positive a manner as it should. I know. We are taught or told to not “jump to conclusions.” It’s not easy, to not do.
As I have written ad nauseum, I am a learner. I am going to learn from this and persuade myself to not automatically think of the worst connotation of the term, but first, in all cases, to admit that “I don’t know” what’s going on, and secondly, regardless of what is going on, not to be judgmental, but to be open minded and compassionate to whatever it is.
- I can remember being pulled over for a traffic stop, not only by Larry Ward in Friendship in the 60’s, but elsewhere also, for having loud mufflers. They were. They were “throaty” and cool, I thought, but they were nowhere near as offensive as what I hear from cars and especially diesel Pick-up trucks going by the house, or especially as they accelerate going around the bend on Rte. 31 past Buckley’s Storage units, headed toward Friendship.
- I breathe a sigh of relief when the scanner call tones out Emergency Responders and the Fire Department gets turned back when nearly on scene due to the smoke seen report is from burned toast.
- This past Sunday was Father’s Day (or Fathers’ Day whichever your preference). And again, I am blessed to have three offspring for whom we are extremely proud. The only reason I am a father is because of them…and with a little help from my wife 💕💕.
I will leave you with this poem written for and because of them several years ago
