Break the Routine

Yesterday we decided to do something different and get out of the house. So we drove over to a park on a local lake and sat and watched the water and a few boats. I found a bait box with a sticker on it I wanted so I picked up the box and kept it. A little later we saw an eagle try for and miss a fish and fly off. That was when I knew I had to do a journal page with the sticker. Here it is.

Bees, again

We are staying in the house with the bees again. There is also a growing wasp nest in the corner of the window on the back porch and last time we were here, I didn’t see any bees and feared the wasps had chased them off. Last night I took some spray to the wasp nest and killed most of them. Today, I went out on the porch and sat down to read. After a little bit, I saw a bee out of the corner of my eye, I sat quietly to see what would happen. She flew around a bit, I stood up and she came in for a closer inspection. I had some bracelets on with colorful beads, she got close and looked at them to see if they might be flowers I guess. And by close, I felt the air from her wings on my arm. Less than two inches. Then she zoomed off and looped over the porch and away. Then she or another bee came back and flew around me closely, looking at me from all sides. I stood still and talked to her gently and let her fly around me. She seemed to like my purple shirt.

These are carpenter bees, they are big, about the size of the end of your thumb. I keep saying “she” because these are the ones burrowing in the wood and packing the holes with pollen and laying their eggs. They are very gentle as long as you are not swatting and cursing at them to make them go away. I don’t know if they sting, I don’t expect to find out. I love watching them and hope to continue seeing them come and go. Bees can actually learn to recognize individual people and know who means them no harm.