Quick Thinking People

[CelticWarlord]

Inspired by the “trapped in a dark basement” thread.

From the January, 1950 Reader’s Digest. Answers are down below

1. "I was riding a frisky pony when his bridle worked loose and was shaken off. He galloped off down the road ignoring all my commands to stop so I held on and hoped for the best until a car loomed up ahead of us. I had to stop that pony. Can you guess how I did it?

2. One evening an insect flew into my ear too deep to reach. It started to crawl around and buzz like a jet engine. Do you know how I got it out?

3. My canoe was overturned in a thunderstorm and I was able to swim to an island with an abandoned cabin on it. Inside I found a kerosene lamp with about an inch of fuel in it, but it was far below where the wick was able to reach. I needed to light some sort of fire to signal for help. I found a few matches in a drawer but everything outside was soaking wet. Can you guess how I managed to get the kerosene lamp lit?

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1. I covered his eyes with my hands and he promptly stopped.
2. I held my ear next to a bright light, which attracted the insect and it emerged on it’s own.
3. Knowing that kerosene floats on water, I filled the lamp with H2O until the fuel reached the wick.

 

[JanR]

Let’s hope that bug that flew into your ear wasn’t a stinging wasp or hornet. I can imagine one of those getting angry or panicky and stinging the inside of the ear. That’s something I’ve always feared. A bug in my ear, and one that stings. Or bites.

 

[CelticWarlord]

A bug in my ear, and one that stings.

Much better than a wasp in the mouth, which happened at some picnic here a few years ago. The sting swelled up a fellow’s throat and he died of asphyxiation before medical help arrived.

 

[CelticWarlord]

Among my many phobias, flying, stinging insects are top of the list.

 

[JanR]

JanR:

A bug in my ear, and one that stings.

Much better than a wasp in the mouth, which happened at some picnic here a few years ago. The sting swelled up a fellow’s throat and he died of asphyxiation before medical help arrived.

That’s why, when I eat or drink outdoors, I always cover the dishes and glasses so stinging insects can’t get into them. And, when drinking, I have a lid on the cup with a hole for my straw. Can’t be too careful.

I’ve heard of how dangerous it can be if stung inside the mouth.

I did hear of a story once of a wasp that actually got inside of somebody’s straw and got sucked up into the person’s mouth. Must have been a rather small wasp, or else a large straw with a wide opening.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Friend of mine actually did get a moth stuck in his ear while taking an evening bike ride a few weeks ago. It took him a couple hours to get it out.

I did hear of a story once of a wasp that actually got inside of somebody’s straw and got sucked up into the person’s mouth. Must have been a rather small wasp, or else a large straw with a wide opening.

When I was young, I attended an outdoor concert that was being live broadcast, and during one band’s performance, a wasp flew into the singer’s mouth while he was singing, causing the guy to inadvertently utter a bunch of swear words which necessitated a quick swtich from the live feed back to the studio DJ as this was back in the “Seven Dirty Words” era when the FCC could pull a station’s license if swear words were broadcast.

As for ponies and kerosene, I don’t use either one so wouldn’t have the slightest idea about them.

 

[BartholomewB]

Very good, @CelticWarlord. My score: zero out of three. So I’d be left lying in the middle of the road where I fell off the pony, with a mosquito buzzing around in my ear, and in pitch darkness. Nice!

 

[CelticWarlord]

I knew about covering a horses eyes to make them stop, but only because our daughter is a horse owner and longtime equine specialist.