Stinging Nettle and Staring Germans

Bosco and I like to go on runs behind the house when the weather cooperates. Actually- he loves to run and I try to like running. So on Tuesday we started out from the house on one of the farming roads that lead to other very small villages.

There was a tractor out doing something behind the house (mowing the sides of said farming roads) and I was prepared for that since I had heard him start around 7 am. So as we were warming up on the first mile I see him in front of us. As I was running faster than he was mowing (YAY!) I told Bosco to heel and attempted to pass him on the left.

For some unknown reason (even though he isn't finished with the row) he makes a turn to the left like he wants to mow the other side. Now- he had seen me coming from behind because I saw him turn and look. I don't know where he thought I had gone when he decided to turn minutes later- but as I was running right up next to him I sort of did a very graceful push-Bosco-into-field-fall-into-stinging-nettle-bushes-to-avoid-tractor-tires move to avoid him.

So I am attempting to pick myself up and check on Bosco when I realize it feels like my legs are bleeding!! It was just the cushy nettle that I fell into leaving welts all over my legs. No bleeding. But it still hurt.

So neighborly German farmer man just stares at me while this is all going down. No "hey are you ok" or "German equivalent"... just stares. It was like he was thinking, "What in the world? Hmmm- what an odd-looking person out here for no good reason! I can't possibly understand why she just fell down!"

The only thing to do was instruct Bosco to bite a hole in his tires and keep running to maintain my dignity and the right to be out there running in the first place. Bosco seemed very unconcerned about the whole thing and went frolicking off into the fields. Dogs are so resilient.

When I got home I showered, cleaned the welts and had an overwhelming urge to call up a nurse working the clinic at Ft. Rucker, AL. Just curious if instead of asking an actual DOCTOR I might get another reading of "The Guide To Wilderness Medicine" and a helpful question such as, "Do you know EXACTLY what kind of stinging nettle it was??"

But they weren't open yet. Oh well.

I google searched "stinging nettle" and actually found out it is quite useful medicinally. I knew it couldn't be that bad since they put it in cheese in Holland (pretty delicious actually!!) Probably COOKED- however.

Check this out!! Stinging Nettle Eating Championship

Bleh.