When i was stung i knew immediately i needed ice. We talked about biking into town but my team mates (that is Team Wisconsin Barns, Brews, and Creameries) insisted we stop at the farm house we were near.
We walked up and asked. The wonderful woman went inside and came out apologizing because she only had a frozen single serve apple juice bottle. really? i held it on my now tripled in thickness, lacking normal ridges and crevices, bright red ear while the woman went inside looking for an antihistamine. oh boy, i am silently thinking, how am i going to ride 30 more miles while holding this apple juice container?
She came back out with tylenol and ibuprofen. no good. While she sorts through her pill bottles she comes up with the idea of mr. freezies ( in case you were fortunate to have a childhood without mr. freezies check it out). She asked her son to go fetch us a handful of freezies, two for my ear and one for everyone dealing with my drama.
Then came the task of getting the freezies on my ear. She went back in the house and came out with some plaid decorative ribbon, i can not even think of an example of where you would use it, maybe around a basket?!? Nope. My head. She tied the ribbon around my head like a head band. we stuck the freezies under the ribbon and my helmet straps which made me smile ear to swollen ear.
i had to look outrageous.
I jumped on my bike and demanded we go to town to get proper supplies.
The only rebuke was from Bjorn. He said only if he could have ice cream. Davin noted Bjorn's extraordinary empathy. I quickly agreed to ice cream.
While in walgreens alone, (the boys were off eating ice cream and jackie was watching out bikes) i ran frantically around with an arm full of pharmaceutical goodies (instant ice bags, benadryl, claritin, and a pain relief spray for stings). As the pharmacist handed me my final item, the pain relief spray, i shook my head and pleaded with him to open it up, shake it, and spray it immediately, multiple times, on my ear, in the middle of the aisle.
I walked out of walgreens still in pain but prepared to continue our journey. I took the freezies out of my ear and replaced them with an instant cold pack. I continued bicycling through Dodgeville with a giant (3 in x 5 in) ice pack tucked between my ear and helmet strap. Outrageous turned ridiculous. The ice pack was warm 7 miles later.
We stopped at Brewery Creek pub and i immediately asked for a bag of ice. Opening the menu was overwhelming for me. I am not sure if it was the adrenaline, the bike ride, or the overall fuzzy, tingling numbness that was taking over the right side of my head. I immediately asked for the cheese platter, followed by the fried cheese curds.
We arrived at Trusted Earth Farm to a delicious meal and great company. I asked Steven and Yvonne for some ice and possibly a headband to keep my hair off my ear. Steven hooked me up with his red and white striped Dodgeball sweatband. Awesome. In the photo you can see how far my right ear sticks out. You really shouldn't be able to see my ear with how i am standing.
The next day we biked about 20 miles to the dairy that produces milk for Uplands cheese. My friend Scott is the herdsman. When we arrived i asked if he had some ice i could use. He didn't have ice. He searched the chest freezers and jokingly (i think he was serious but watching my reaction) handed me a slab of frozen beef. I should have accepted just to make a better story.
Instead he searched some more and found an ice pack. i wrapped it in paper towel from the milk house and we enjoyed some pasture time with the cows.
~heidi
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