I dipped the tobacco in water before i put it on the stings. They feel alright tonight. well, itching and burning still but i can make a fist now. none of these stings are anywhere near as bad as a few years ago when i got stung in the armpit - man that hurt like hell.
examining the area this afternoon what happened is this: there was a yellowjacket nest built around one of the legs of a tomato cage, just below ground. i pulled the cage up and it left a pretty good sized hole in the ground where the nest came out with it. like, maybe a grapefruit sized nest. Maybe i shouldn't feel this way but it felt good to get even with those little buggers.