June 16, 2001 ~ Bees
It's only the middle of June. The garden will probably last at least another month, and the horses will have to be fed forever, which means that there's no two ways about it, I'll be dealing with bees and wasps for the next few months.
It's THAT time of year, I'm sorry to say. Bee season. Wasp season. The time when I just want to stay inside, away from anything that stings, except that they always manage to find their way INside, which I can promise you, just about drives me crazy. Bees are worse than junebugs, and I HATE junebugs. With a passion.
I go out very early and very late to feed the horses, trying to be in the barn when the bees and stinging things are less active. Sometimes I oversleep, though. Sometimes it's seven or eight o-clock in the morning when I get out there, and all the winged demons are flying around in the barn, getting in my face, in my hair, trying their best to either sting me or scare me to death. And there's usually nobody else here to take care of the animals, so there's nothing to do but walk through those swarming monsters. Just put your head down and walk slowly through them. Being careful about touching anything, looking at everything you touch, because the wasps are everywhere. On the hay, on the pitchfork, on the door handles, everywhere. And certainly on the barrels where the feed is stored.
I have bad reactions to bee stings. Not life-threatening, but bad just the same. Last time I got stung, there was about a ten-inch area of redness and swelling on my leg, and there was a big scar there for about a year. So I'm not too crazy about the idea of getting stung. Wasps, bees, hornets, yellow jackets, even mud daubers or dirt daubers... they're all my sworn enemies. I hate them. Am afraid of them. And we must have millions of them.
Can't wait until cool weather... that slows down the wasps and such. Just can't wait. Until then, I'll just have to keep my head down, eyes nearly shut (I've been stung in the eye), and walk through them. Walk through them. If I keep saying it, it might get easier.
Walk through them...
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