The deer were eating the buds and the leaves on the rose bushes, any other tasty treats would be eaten to the ground. I think the fence is aluminum, so it's basically maintenance free. It is about 100 feet long, with one gate, and it cost about $4000. That would buy a lot of plants, but I think we would grow tired of replanting all the time. If we decide to plant anything along the fence, it will be plants which are deer-resistant.

I'm packing today, and prepping my car for another long trip. We're having a 'team outing' in Cleveland Ohio on Wednesday. My company would pay for a plane ticket, but I prefer to drive. I get Monday and Friday as 'travel days', so it's going to be a short work week. I haven't seen any of the people I work with in about two years, so it will be nice to see them again.

My dad is adamant about going home over the 4th of July weekend, so that's what we're planning on. He lives alone, and has refused in-home care. We're strongly discouraging him from attempting to drive. He will not have any adult supervision, so I expect he will try to do things he shouldn't attempt fairly quickly. Hopefully the lessons he learns won't be too painful or expensive.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

A friend of mine posted this on a social media platform last week, and I wanted to pass it along...

How many trans women does it take to change a light bulb?

One, and she doesn't even need a light bulb. If you tell her she is beautiful, her smile will light up the room.

My trip to Cleveland went well. Other than heavy traffic near Louisville KY, the only excitement was being next to a semi when one of the trailer tires blew out. At first I though I had run over something, then I saw chunks of shredded tire flying around behind me. As far as I can tell, there was no damage to my car. The 'team event' was uneventful, it was nice to see some of my co-workers again.

I took a different route home, although I did pass through Louisville again. Even at Noon on Friday, the traffic was horrid. I spent the night in a little town named Kuttawa, KY. There isn't much around there, but the rolling hills and endless greenery was very pretty. The last leg of my trip started earlier than expected. At 2:30am something bit the back of my thigh while I was sleeping. I decided not to stay under the covers with an unknown bed partner, so I loaded up and hit the road a little after 3:00am. There wasn't much traffic, but I did have to be on constant alert for deer. The route home took me through Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and Arkansas. I probably broke laws in some of those states just by using the ladies room. I got home around 8:45am. After relaxing for a little while, I did some grocery shopping, followed by lunch, unloading the car, mowing the lawn, and washing both of our cars! I wonder why I feel so tired right now...

While I was putting our water hose away, a butterfly landed on my wrist. I don't know if it was after water or salt, but for over 10 minutes it crawled around while tickling me with it's tongue. I didn't want to frighten it, so I just waited for it to leave.

My dad's plans have changed once again. Now he is scheduled to go home on 12 July. He isn't ready, and he doesn't want anyone to help him once he goes home. He also thinks he can drive. We plan to hide the car keys. I fully expect he will have a visit to the emergency room within two weeks of going home, unless someone is able to convince him that he needs help.

The potential criminal case against the 'yard man' is still unresolved. I haven't heard from the detective in over two weeks. My dad's lawyer has also been unresponsive, so we've chosen another lawyer that my sister-in-law has worked with before. She has an appointment with him on Monday. At a minimum, we're hoping for a restraining order against the 'yard man'.

We plan to visit this weekend, and mow my dad's yard again.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

They say that if a butterfly lands on you it is good luck!

For the 4th of July, Susan and I went to my dad's house. I'm the only relative nearby (a three hour drive) who is healthy enough to mow the yard. Rain is in the forecast Friday through Sunday, so I had to mow it today.

We arrived at my dad's house at 11:30am, unloaded our luggage, then went to McAllister's for lunch. After lunch, I bought gas for our car and the lawn mower, then we picked up a few groceries -- including several bottles of Gatorade.

We got back to my dad's house around 1:30pm, I changed clothes, then started mowing. The temperature was 98, with a heat index of 107. After five hours of work, and six 12oz bottles of Gatorade, I was almost done. Just needed to make a few passes by the woodshed. That was a bad idea.

As soon as I made my first pass, firery daggers of pain seemed to be stabbing me everywhere. If there was a track and field event called the '40 yard flailing dash', I would have set a new world record. Near the end of my run, I saw the culprit, I had discovered a nest of yellow jackets.

It took a few minutes to knock them all off, and I asked Susan for some help to be sure I got them all. Upon closer inspection, I only got stung six times -- right hip, right butt, left side torso, high on the back of my left thigh, and twice on the left elbow. If feels like someone hammered nails into my muscles. It's been four hours since the attack, and it's still exceptionally painful, especially the one on the back of my thigh. Hopefully some ibuprofen will help.

Love always (unless you're a yellow jacket) -- Jessica Rose

Jessica,
Hope that you are feeling better! I hate insects that bite and sting!!!

Hope you feel better soon.

I have found that carburetor cleaner is the best way to kill them off. It's cheap and drops them instantly. Like bees, they send out a pheromone when injured, signaling others to "ATTACK". The carb cleaner kills them so fast they don't have time. They will all be at the nest after sundown, so that's the time to get even with them. But don't remove the nest. Wasps are territorial. If they see a nest, even an abandoned one, they won't build near it.

Thanks Kay and Lori! Although I didn't sleep very well last night, I am feeling much better today. I can at least now walk normally, and sitting is definitely much more comfortable! I emptied a can of wasp spray into their burrow last night. All I saw today was a bunch of dead yellow jackets. I gave them another dose anyway. It may not have done any additional damage, but it made me feel better.

We got a lot done today. We met with two detectives this morning and showed them items around my dad's house which are suspicious (my dad gave us permission to do so). Proving financial abuse can be difficult, but if any of the items we pointed out are stolen, that will add another layer.

We also visited three local banks my dad does business with. The first one didn't seem that concerned, but they did take note of the suspect's name and implied they would scrutinize any future transaction my dad may have with the suspect. The second bank really didn't seem to care at all. They just suggested that we take my dad's checkbook. The third bank was fantastic. As soon as I mentioned the amount of money involved, the bank manager was brought into the meeting. They were astounded by the number of checks and the amount involved, and they seemed genuinely surprised that the activity had not triggered any red flags. They plan to investigate the issue and promised to contact me by the end of next week.

Tomorrow (Saturday) may be rough. We're going to try to convince my dad to stay longer in the rehab facility. He isn't ready to be on his own again, and his memory really seems to be fading. He no longer recognizes areas of town he should be very familiar with, and it's not due to construction -- he simply doesn't remember them anymore.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

@Jessica_Rose
Dear Jessica:
Thank you for your update....

You have been a busy bee  .... pun intended !!!!

I am glad that you are OK after being stung by Yellow Jackets so many times.

I have had similar issues with being stung, but I am deathly allergic to stings
from Yellow Jackets and Hornets.  Years ago I was also just mowing the lawn in the
morning, and unbeknown to me, I ran over an in-ground Yellow Jacket nest and I had
a bad reaction and I had to call a neighbor to take me to the Emergency Room ... 
...I had passed-out in the neighbors car as we arrived at the hospital and very
fortunately I am still alive and kicking. 
My neighbor was very worried that had died in her car, we laughed about that later
that night. 
      I now always keep an Epi-pen injector very handy wherever I go. 

Late that night when all the Yellow Jackets were in their nest I poured a small cup
of gasoline into the hole and lit it off...  as it burned I stuck a stick into the
hole and stirred it around until the flames went out.
In the morning I found dead yellow jackets everywhere around the nest.

I am so glad that you are still among the living after your encounter with
all of the painful stings.

Regarding the situation with your Dad, I am so glad that you are making some progress
with the Detectives and with the financial situation with his Banks. 

I am wishing you well with your dealings with your Dad and continue as you are taking
very good care of him and making some tough decisions... this is not an easy time for
you or for your Dad.

Many Hugs, positive thoughts and my prayers,
Danielle [Northern Star Girl]

I am glad you are okay Jess.

Christine

@Jessica_Rose
Dear Jessica:
I am happy that you arrived back home after your trip to visit
and helping your Dad.
 
I am sure that you are quite tired and that you got overheated
doing the yard work out in the hot weather.

It should be a little bit cooler at your home than it was at your
Dad's place.....
           however...
back in your hometown are there floods and hurricane issues?

Stay in, rest up, stay cool, and try to rest up.

Welcome back home.
HUGS, Danielle [Northern Star Girl]

The yellow jacket nest is gone. The night after I sprayed it, something dug it up and ate all of the yellow jackets. I suspect it was an armadillo. Sunday morning we had seven raccoons dining at the buffet. A few hours later we noticed a young fox in the backyard, then another, and another, and another! There were four young foxes in my dad's backyard. They ate some of the food we left out for the raccoons, then two of them got the 'zoomies'. They were chasing each other all over the yard for several minutes.

We live reasonably close to Little Rock, AR. We're far enough from the Gulf of Mexico that hurricanes aren't an issue, although they can trigger tornadoes. We usually hear tornado sirens two to three times a year. Local flooding can sometimes be a problem, but we are in a well-drained area and have not had any issues so far -- even with a storm that dropped seven inches of rain overnight last year. We have some possible bad weather from Beryl heading in our general direction right now, but it's too early to tell how severe the storms will be. A tornado hit a few miles from my dad's house this afternoon. Hopefully we won't have too much extra cleanup work to do on our next visit.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

I found a wasp nest in the ground and exposed it with a shovel, then left it before they figured out what happened. Something, most likely a raccoon, finished the job for me!

Makes me glad to live in the UK, okay we get wasps and hornets but rarely a problem. When you see all the poisonous snakes, spiders and stuff like bears that can get you in the rest of the world the only thing that was on the radio this morning is its tick season! 

I had the same thing happen last year. I unknowingly ran over a nest and got stung once in the leg (through my jeans!) and had a pretty bad reaction, with lots of pain and swelling. It wasn't until I got stung again a week later that I came to realize that the nest was there. I'm more careful these days. Those stings hurt and are pretty dangerous!

I am fortunate in that I am immune to bees. My father was a beekeeper when he was young and got stung over 150 times in one incident. Since then, his body developed an immunity and I think he passed that on to me.

Recently however I learned that immunity does not carry over to wasps and hornets. Ouch!

I apologize for not responding sooner, but I awoke with a terrible headache on Monday and it didn't go away until this morning.

The southern US has a large share of biting insects, some are even too small to see (like chiggers). Insect repellent helps, but in the summer it's rare if more than a week passes without something biting me. Luckily, most of the larger predators stay further north. We occasionally have bear sightings, but they are somewhat rare. Insect repellent doesn't seem to deter wasps and bees, but they usually leave you alone as long as you don't bother them. However, yellow jackets are both aggressive and territorial. If I had known they were under the woodshed, I would have stayed away.

I had to find a new dentist. A few days ago I received a bill from my previous dentist for a cleaning I had in February. My insurance covers cleanings 100%, but apparently my dentist no longer accepts my insurance. They could have told me before my appointment, instead of charging me $180 for the information.

The new dentist is OK so far. I hated the bite-wing x-rays, I gagged several times. I considered telling the technician that he was the first guy to make me gag, but he wasn't my type (I have no idea what 'my type' is, but he wasn't it). The dentist complimented the dental work I had done in Colorado, he said it was 'A+' work. I hope I can expect the same from my new dentist.

I heard from the detective yesterday, and there were a few more things he wanted to check out before contacting the suspect. None of the firearms or lawn equipment the 'yard man' had left with my dad had been reported stolen, so that charge is off the table. We're still not sure if law enforcement will be able to do anything.

One of the banks we contacted called me back this morning, it's the one where the 'yard man' has been cashing his checks. They told me the 'yard man' has a history of this activity, and he has even been banned from entering one of the other local banks. They added a notation not to cash any checks my dad writes to this person. Unfortunately, there are many other banks around who will gladly cash them. It looks like our best course of action will be to report him to the IRS, since it's doubtful he declared any of the income on his taxes.

My dad still plans to go home in a few weeks. He recently had an eye exam and was told that he shouldn't drive, of course he disagrees with that assessment. We plan to take his car keys. He will not be happy. If he does go home, I don't expect the situation to last very long. It won't take him long to do something he shouldn't, like climb up to the roof of his barn to clear debris. I'll be amazed if he lasts more than two weeks on his own. He doesn't want anyone to stay with him, and he refuses in-home care. Hopefully the lesson won't be too painful.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Sounds like you have been busy!

Just for future reference, insect repellent does NOT work on bears either. 

@Jessica_Rose
Dear Jessica:
Thank you for posting your update... you answered several of my questions that I had.
      ````````````````````````````````````````
The big problem where live is mosquitos.... this time of year in the summer and early fall, the
mosquitoes come in swarms, and on me they leave nasty welts.  In the late fall, winter, and
early spring the bees, wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets and mosquitos are not too bad because it
is generally too cold for them to be very active, but once the weather warms up, coupled
with long daylight hours here in the summer, all those insects are very busy doing
their thing, building nests, foraging for pollen, or for something to eat, and as in the
case of the mosquitos they are sucking blood from warm blooded mammals and making eggs for
next years swarms.
      `````````````````````````````````````````
Ahhhh, going to the Dentist... is there such a thing as "painless dentistry   For me the
good thing about going to the Dentist, especially for my every 6 months cleaning, is that
I get to see my Dental Hygienist Tooth-Fairy sweetie.  Anyone that has read my Hunter Prey
blog thread is aware that she is the first person that I met after I had relocated here
that had a strong suspicion that I am a trans-woman.  I found out that those in the Dental
profession can have a good idea about gender by looking at teeth and the mouth.... and that
makes sense because they are looking at those things on a variety of people very frequently.
        `````````````````````````````````````````
Talking about Dental x-rays and dental procedures with regards to gagging, when
I go to the Dentist I always book early morning appointments and I don't eat breakfast...
makes for a better situation for them and for me.
        `````````````````````````````````````````

Regarding your Dad, I am certain that it is difficult for you and for your Dad as he gets
older.  Taking his car keys away and not being able to live in his own home has got to be
a battle for him and for you.  I know that you are trying to as kind, gentle, and understanding
as you deal with all of the issues.
        `````````````````````````````````````````

I am glad that you are actively pursuing legal action against the Yard Man who has taken
advantage of your Dad and it appears there are other victims.
        `````````````````````````````````````````

Again Jessica, thank you for posting your update...  please know that you and your Dad are
in my frequent thoughts and prayers.

Many HUGS,
Danielle  [Northern Star Girl]

It is not right for people to cash checks they are not entitled to cash.  They should be stopped and forced to make complete restitution, including expenses for lawyers, and other recovery fees, and lost interest that could have been earned on that money.

Chrissy

The dental technician had my x-rays displayed on a large screen, then stepped out to get the dentist. I took the opportunity to take a photo of the screen with my cell phone. I haven't looked too closely at them yet, but it's cool to have a copy.

Chrissy, unfortunately my dad wrote the checks. Even though he knows he was taken for over $500,000, he really doesn't seem concerned. His last name isn't Bezos or Musk, so that was a substantial amount of money for him to lose. To me, it's a sign that he can't handle his own finances anymore. We still don't know if law enforcement will do anything. It's really sad how easy it is for someone to take advantage of others and not have to be concerned about consequences.

From what I was told yesterday, my dad will be going home tomorrow (Monday). Although I will be able to visit this coming weekend, I will be in Colorado the following week. I have a feeling this may be a rough week.

I won't go into details, but I have a friend in Colorado Springs who is in danger. She has contacted the police, but they claim they can't do anything until the suspect assaults her. Apparently, entering her apartment and rummaging through her belongings without permission is no longer considered a crime. She even has video of the person in the act. She has several cans of pepper spray and has done what she can to increase security. She plans to move within the next few weeks due to the suspect. She will soon have a firearm, and I will be taking her to a local range in Colorado for some training. She plans to take a concealed carry training course as soon as possible so she can get a carry permit. I am extremely concerned for her.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Update: As of this morning (15 July), my dad will be going home next Tuesday, 23 July.