It’s getting hot and dry in Texas and the local wildlife swimming pools and jacuzzis are filling up fast as the nearby creeks and ponds are drying out.

I apologize for the blurry photo, but it is the only one that really depicts the frenzy of activity that goes on in the evenings in my backyard. There is a hummingbird on the far left part of the photo, calmly sipping sugar from the feeder, a lesser goldfinch hanging out on a blooming thistle behind him and the Bluebirds causing a frenzy trying to squeeze in a late evening swim.

Earlier this year a resident pair of Eastern Bluebirds raised two broods of young and now I have 8 Eastern Bluebirds who visit the local swimming establishment every evening. In case you were wondering, yes juvenile (aka teenage) Eastern Bluebirds do bicker and fight just like human teenagers tend to do. But occasionally, on very rare days, everybody gets along for a couple of minutes. Long enough to get in a good soaking. Then it’s back to screeching and squabbling.

The picture above always makes me laugh. I am almost expecting to see the empty keg of beer floating around after they leave.

And what excellent work Dick has done! Dick has completed laying stone on the back and front patio and walkways. It was an arduous project in 90 degree heat, hauling heavy rock slabs from the back yard, and he did an amazing job. I love the handy work and how close the stones are laid next to each other making the grout lines very narrow. It took hours of finding and cutting the right stone to fit into the right space. Not to mention the accent on the vertical face of the front door step. Dick has never done any stone work such as this before and it shows what natural talent he has. Not to mention what a fast learner he is!! I don’t think I would have gotten a professional to do the work as precisely and with such good care. I feel blessed.

Here are some before and after shots of the back patio. It is amazing what natural stonework does to the atmosphere of the place. Before the project when it was just ugly old concrete, we never really sat on the back patio.  It felt dirty and uncomfortable. Since it’s completion we spend almost every evening out there with a glass of  iced tea or some wine, watching the sunset. It is a truly beautiful and peaceful space now. Thank you Dick for a job extremely well done!

Here’s the dingy before picture of the back patio. Nobody wanted to hang out here.The after shot. Ahh – just relaxing and beautiful.
Please excuse the yard junk lying around. We still have to move the wood pile and clean up the far side and put the grill back where it belongs. 😕

Or more correctly,  a bee drinking trough.It has been very hot over the last couple of days and all the critters are coming out to cool off and quench their thirst. What used to be a very popular birdbath in my backyard has now been taken over by my bees. They actually chase off any birds that dare to come close. Thankfully I have another watering hole for the birds close to this one that the bees don’t really like.

Although they did not mind sharing with this little wasp.Sharing is caring….. 🙂

To Clumsy, Bumbling Beginner Beekeeper!

So yesterday I was walking to my hive, gloves on, with a jar of sugar water to give the bees more syrup, in my shorts and T-shirt. Doing what I’ve done now for several weeks and feeling pretty confident about it all. Well the bees taught me another very valuable lesson that day: Don’t ever get too comfortable!

As I pulled out the jar from the feeder there were a couple of bees still hanging from the lid, as there usually is. But I must have dropped my brain somewhere on the walk to the hive, because instead of gently pushing them off I shook them. Holy cow what a big mistake that was! Some bees dropped to the ground and immediately got very pissed off. They went straight for my legs and I instantly panicked. All common sense just left my brain and I started running for the house madly swatting all around me, but one little sucker got me on the calf. There is no fat on my calf and she got me good. So I am running, swatting my leg, and my head because I could hear furious buzzing around my ears and then I realized (too late) that I was still holding the blasted jar with the bees still on them. Each one realizing it was war and joining in on the fight. Intelligence slowly seeped back in, albeit  way too slowly, and I finally dropped the jar of bees I’d been handily carrying with me so far, and made a beeline (sorry for the pun, couldn’t help myself) for the house, squealing and laughing all at the same time. Oddly enough it seemed as if there was a part of me just watching this whole thing from outside and  apparently thought it was hilarious. The part of me that could feel that sting was not laughing however. Damn! That sucker hurts!!  Thankfully the moment I got inside the house, the bees immediately stopped being pissed off and just wanted back out. One actually got caught behind the screen door which I had slammed shut, and was just begging to get out. Funny how her attitude shifted from “Kill the bitch!” to “Get me outta here!” Maybe she realized that she was now in enemy territory.

Anyway, I have a swollen, painful calf and some hurt pride. Today it itches and it’s a wonderful reminder to not ever get complacent with bees. Sadly I just know I’ll forget this valuable lesson in the future…. Hopefully I’ll just need a gentle reminder next time.

My bee mentor, Guru Gary’s wise words to me were: “Every………beek……….has………to…….confess……..sooner…….or…….later. Welcome to your first bee “kiss”.”

Oh and by the way. I had apparently also dropped both my gloves in the mad dash to the house and one of the gloves had landed on a fire ant hill. Yes, you guessed it – I got stung by those bastards too when I collected the gloves that evening. I’m just hurting today….