Flight Of the Bumblebees...

...literally!



WARNING: LONG POST! :-)



Let's start with a lovely picture of my back yard... that would be the most pleasant part of the experience I am about to share with you and it will be the only picture I can provide given that I don't have my camera cable at the moment!


Many of you already know that yard work (despite my enormous and beautiful yard) is one of my least favorite things to do! In fact, I have been known to hire someone I affectionately call my "yard boy" to do it for me! I don't mind mowing so much, but the weed eating and pulling, etc. drives me crazy!



This afternoon I decided that IF I could get the weed eater to start I would do a little weed eating. After all, the weeds weren't high or anything, I just thought it would look nice to make them level with the grass, you know, just some shaping up around the edges of the yard! (Knowing my troubles with yard work and yard work equipment as of late, I should have known this would be no easy task!)




I got the back yard done pretty effortlessly. Okay, maybe that's an overstatement, the weed eater isn't exactly a breeze to troop around the back yard with, but it started, and continued to work, and with my guidance did it's job quite nicely! It's when I moved to the front yard that the real trouble started!

Just when I was thinking - this isn't so bad, Meagan, you CAN do this and you SHOULD do it more often, I felt something prick my leg. This is where it all becomes a blur to me! I was weed eating around the ditch under my driveway and apparently, and VERY accidentally, I weed-"ate" right in, on, or over a bumblebee nest!




Lesson Number One: Those of you, like me, who have been told that bumblebees are not aggressive and do not sting - that is NOT TRUE! It would seem if you basically attempt to destroy their home with law care equipment they have no qualms about being aggressive OR stinging!




After the initial prick, I realized it must have been a sting. I don't know what clued me in to this fact... it might have had something to do with the mad buzzing noise in my ears of the frantic frenzy of bees around my feet that gave me an inkling of what was in store!




As the story goes, I ditched the weed eater - literally threw it in the ditch - and ran like hell (excuse the language, but there really is no other way to put this). I am confident that if I had it on video I might be the $10,000 winner! It would seem that as I retreated (oh so gracefully shrieking at the top of my lung and swatting over my head - By the way, I am pretty sure that is what you are NOT supposed to do) the easiest target must of been my lovely ghetto-booty as I had over 10 stings on... you guessed it... my lovely behind! As I realized the bees were in fact IN my clothing AND my hair I really got frantic! (Exit all rational thought)




As I ran for the house - because there is no water, pond, pool, or even puddle anywhere near - I lost my cell phone that I keep tucked in my bra while I do yard work "just in case." It seems a secure spot, but I now know that it's doesn't work so well when you are... well... "running like hell!"



As I reached the back garage door I flung it open and in my cool and collected thought process (yeah right!) neglected to close the door behind me (I didn't realize this until about 2 hours after the event). I ran, ripping at my clothes and feeling like the garments themselves were stinging me!




Lesson 2: Don't try to pull stretchy pants over tennis shoes while running like a mad woman! Result: REALLY bad scuffed knees and elbows, and arms... it seems pants seem to trip you up when you are running with them around your ankles!




I ducked in the bathroom and stripped the pants, but the buzzing and stinging was still going on so I tired to shut the bees in the bathroom and retreated to the guest bedroom! Same scenario - lose the shirt - still buzzing - leave that room, slam that door! I finally found myself in my "office" (and additional guest room) bee free, behind closed doors, AND... completely without attire!




After catching my breath and calming down (hey, gotta enjoy a sting-free moment after that frenzy... but by calming down don't envision me calm cool and collected, envision me bawling my eyes out, yelping, and then begin insanely quiet because "the bees might hear me!" What? I said all rational thought went out the window!) Anyway, I spied out the door to see 4 bees buzzing around the living room angrily. When they seemed contentedly in the window I made a mad dash for my bedroom! Here I put on some more clothes and plotted my next move!




With the bees in the living room I felt st ranted in the house and quite frankly still terrified and I needed to find my cell phone too! What's a girl to do! Oh, brilliant, I thought! I'll remove the screen from my window, climb out, and call for help... after I find my phone - hopefully several yards from the bees nest!

The story winds down from here! I found my phone, called a friend or two, waited a LONG while! Then did a clean sweep of my home with my brave soul! Good thing I left the back door and bedroom windows open! All the bees left on their own except for two!




The damage: 16 bee stings, two skinned up knees, 2 skinned up elbows, random scratches, bumps and bruises, and a vow to never weed eat again!




Note: I did go to the ER (it was the only place open by the time I decided to go) just to be safe. My mom recommended it just in case and Moo's mom (a nurse her whole life) said it was a good idea! Thanks to La's sweet hubby who both took me and picked me up from the ER (I was advised not to drive myself as I might get a shot that would make me sleepy!)




In the end, I am sitting here on a very sore behind, on three medications - just a precaution - and getting drowsy from all the excitement and from the meds! There is one lone bee in the living room window also pooped from the crazy day! You bet your behind I am leaving him be! (no pun intended!)




That's my story... and from now on my excuse to get out of yard work! :-)