"Adventures" with bees

or why does it seem to always be me that meets the stinging cadre?  Again this weekend I stood where I should not have.  As I was standing on the deck keeping an eye on the dogs as they gamboled around in the yard, I apparently got too close to some bees' nest.  It is that time of year when wasps/hornets/yellow jackets get really crabby & short-tempered and although 'tP' looks for and destroys their nests that have been deposited in various nooks & crannies this was one he missed and they let me know it.  Before I could react I had been stung a couple of times. 
I immediately went into the house and took a couple of Benedryl, but these guys were more potent than the last ones and my arm is continuing to swell badly and be in a lot of pain.  I am allergic to bee and other insect bites & stings, but I never know how I will react -whether badly or not.  I do not at this time have a life-threatening reaction, but this is not something one can predict and one never wants to fool with it.  I do have one sibling who could have a lethal reaction and several others, plus my mum who are allergic.  Plus my children and grand-children also have allergic reactions.
Anyway, I'm in sort of a crabby mood myself now, due to the pain and the discomfort. 
I did get some work done around home anyway, though.  The older grands came over yesterday & I taught my to-be grand-daughter how to make jam and gave her a good set of canning equipment & tools.  She'll still need to get a canner, but now they have tools, book, and some jars, plus 5 lovely jars of strawbery jam!

I also made about 6 batches of jam myself over the weekend, plus canned some veggies and got a bit more done on the baby sweater & a tiny bit of spinning.  The bee sting reaction put a crimp into my craft life, though, I have to say.

Still hot-hot here and no sign of immediate relief.  Farmers are beginning the harvest in our immediate area, too.