jellyman, Only the internet could produce the kind of views on yellowjackets expressed in your post. Don't forget, the internet is full of a lot of total nonsense, and this is some of it. So true, and I only did a perfunctory google search on YJ's because I've been more bothered by Jap beetles and have been reading up (probably more objectivity, but nothing positive for sure) about the safest way environmentally to deal with them. Sorry if I bought into hype. You have somewhat allayed my fears for now. They haven't bothered me, and would love to grow some grapes and raspberries, strawberries, and many more varieties of fruit crops but haven't enough room, only have cherries, apricots which seldom do well and a failing old apple tree. The JB's are a terrible problem on some those plants, too. It appears some have more of a problem than others wrt YJ's. I'll save the info on that homemade trap and only use it if they become a lot worse than they are now. Basically I try to get along with all the creatures I share this planet with and try to give them their space within certain limits. Flies, fleas, mosquitos, cockroaches and JB's are fair game, they have to go. Other things I put up with a lot of people wouldn't. Like itsy bitsy spiders (harmelss ones) and a few others. My kids freak out about bugs, don't know where they get that. The ecology has really changed since I was a kid. We used to have those grasshoppers that spit "tobacco juice", haven't seen any in years. Haven't seen a garter snake for ages. We now have deer, striped chipmunks, Canada geese, eagles, owls, herons, and black squirrels that have interbred with the native ones, to name a few. I lament the loss of our honeybees, hope they come back and whatever causing their disappearance is nailed and remedial measures taken. Sevin kills a lot of insects, so I won't resort to that unless all else fails. It does kill bees and probably beneficial insects as well, and I don't want to needlessly do that, especially bumblebees.

The first time I was ever stung, I was 3 years old and sat on a bee when I was sitting down on the grass next to the garden to pick peas. I ran in SCREAMING, and (when they finally figured out what was wrong) my parents put the baking soda paste on itand it did nothing. I think that bee sting is my first "real" memoryÂthatÂs not from pictures! So baking soda didnÂt work for me, but I definitely want to agree with what David said about ammonia. Years ago I bought an expensive little applicator thingie called Afterbite. It worked for mosquito and ant bites, but I used it up very quickly and since I didnÂt want to spend a bunch more for another one, I tried to figure out what was in it. There was no list of ingredients, and the only thing that I could clearly smell was ammonia, so the next time I got a mosquito bite I saturated a folded up little square of paper towel with ammonia and plastered it over the mosquito bite. NO ITCHING! It really works. Try it, youÂll like it! As a kid I cut the grass barefoot and stepped on multiple bees every summer. Baking soda didnÂt work, so I started running the garden hose cold water over my foot each time, and in 15 minutes the "sting" would go awayÂand IÂd finish the grass! Then, for 10 years or so, I never got stungÂturned into a shoe-wearing city girl! Then one fine day when I happened to go outside barefoot I stepped on a beeÂor somethingÂnever did see it. I ran in and stuck my foot in the sink and ran cold water over it, but it felt very strangeÂdifferent than it had when I was a kid. By the next morning my entire leg was swollen up, all the way up to my hip, and it ITCHED FROM THE INSIDE OUT! We went to an emergency room and they said I was allergic to bees and gave me a tetanus shot and antihistaminesÂwhich did absolutely nothing for the itching. It took nearly a week for it to go away, and my foot was so swollen up that I couldnÂt put anything but the loosest sandals on. After that I got and carried a bee sting kit with me for years, but the next time I got stung I was working at the first garden center here in Denver, and when it happened I sat down with my bee sting kit and waited to start going into anaphylactic shock! One of the other girls got me some ice which I put on it immediately, and I never did have any trouble with breathing, so I didnÂt stick the needle in myself! ThatÂs when I discovered that if I got ice on it IMMEDIATELY, the venom absorbed slowly enough that I didnÂt get all swollen up, and I didnÂt itch! I kept the ice on it for almost 24 hoursÂI was afraid to take it off. Ever since then IÂve used the ice method whenever I get stung. I worried for years that since I hadnÂt been at all allergic for 20-some years, that the allergy I had developed that caused the swelling and itching could suddenly worsen to an anaphylactic reaction type allergy, but IÂve had a doctor tell me that that rarely happens. I donÂt carry a bee sting kit anymore, but I do still worry a little bit when I get stung, and I get ice on it right away. All that being said, itÂs been years now since IÂve been stung, which is pretty amazing considering how many bees IÂm around out in the yard, especially around the veggies. ItÂs pretty amazing how if you just leave them along, they leave you alone. I think youÂre pretty unlikely to get stung unless you accidentally squoosh them somehowÂlike swatting at them, or grabbing themÂlike you accidentally did, Bonnie, or getting them inside your clothes somehow, like you did, Alice (thatÂs how I got stung at the garden centerÂit got inside my sleeve). But one other thing I want to mention. DonÂt assume that just because a bee is dead, it canÂt sting! That might sound ridiculous, but another time, years agoÂand before I had discovered the ice methodÂI sat down on the carpet by the slider and put my hand down on the carpet and got stung. When I looked, there was the back half of a DEAD bee stuck to my hand. Apparently I put my hand on it just the right way that it "self injected!" That time I guess I figured that since it was dead it wouldnÂt be a problem, but the next day my hand and arm, up to my elbow, were all swollen and itching! Whoda thunk a dead bee could sting??? So I know better now, and even when I see a dead bee laying somewhere, I pick it up and dispose of it VERY carefully! IÂve never even tried the ammonia method on bees, David. Just never thought of it! But next time I get stungÂand IÂm sure there will be a next timeÂIÂm gonna put an ammonia patch under the ice and see how much difference it makes. IÂm still gonna use the ice, since IÂm allergic, but maybe the ammonia will "fix it" faster! Skybird

Well I'm done with the first part. I don't want to say too much in case someone from the firm reads this forum. But I could have definitely gone casual -- I was immediately shown to a conference room and given the test. The only employee I saw was a guy wearing a t shirt and cargo shorts who met me at the door and handed me the test and collected it at the end. And the test was surprisingly hard given the level of position I applied for so who knows if there will even be an interview. Oh well -- even if it nothing comes of it, it was definitely an interesting way to dip my toes in the job market.

Ok, it's -11C this morning, (or about 12F) so I did my experimental 'down coat' walk with my dog. I first walked around the block, wearing a wool blend sweater with my fleece zip up overshirt, under the coat. Then I returned home, and took off the fleece zip up, so wore only the wool blend sweater under my coat. I managed to get around the block, but felt noticeably colder without the addition of my fleece zip up. So I will assume that the extra room in my coat allowed too much air to enter, just as Lucille predicted. My DD is one size larger than me. When she visits in two weeks, I will ask if she'll walk around the block for me, doing the same experiment, lol! Since the coat would be one size less than what she normally wears, it should fit her a bit more snug, than it does me. We'll see if she feels warmer with just one layer under the down, or layering. If she feels warmer with just one layer, than she's got herself a new coat, lol, as it's in excellent condition, she loves the style, and I clearly should have bought one size down, in this brand.