Bees

 The book this month is The Secret Life of Bees, I give it a 8 out of 10.  It was a good read. 

It probably would have rated a tad bit higher if I did not have a bee sting allergy. 

It took me a long time to control the terror I feel when there is a bee in the vicinity.  Fight or flee is a very strong reaction.

A very long time ago ...I believe it was the summer before my third birthday we were visiting at Great Uncle Mike's and Great Aunt Ellen's house.   They kept bees.  A series of white cabinets under the shade tree in the front yard.

Great Uncle Mike and Great Aunt Ellen

I opened a hive and began to scream as the bees began to sting me.  My Dad and Great Uncle Mike grabbed a blanket and ran out to cover me with the blanket....they brought me and many bees back into the house.  They picked out stingers and lost count at 200 stings.  I was very ill for a number of days.  

Since then bees seem to know what I did...and they want revenge....do you suppose I am marked in some way...or just titched in the head? 

One time we were coming home from Iowa in 1959 with the windows down ...two adults in the car and three kids ( Me, my baby brother and my cousin Mark) a bee flew in and stung me and flew out the window...just like that.  My baby brother was not scared of bees...he used to say just hold still and they will not sting you...WRONG...if they landed on me they stung me. 

I have Epi Pens to keep on hand. 

 One time when I was stung on my tongue I had to have six injections in the ER...my tongue swelled so fast it filled my mouth and I could not breathe ...so I had to stick my tongue out of my mouth....and talking was impossible. Never eat anything with a sneaky bee on it.  I had grabbed a cinnamon roll and took it outside with me...took a bite and a bee was on that part of the cinnamon roll.  OUCH.

Far Side

Goldenrod and Bookclub

 The Goldenrod is blooming.

It is a native plant in Minnesota. There are 15 different varieties that live in Minnesota.  

Yesterday was Bookclub, they met in a local park and had a book swap.  I did not feel up to attending so I eventually joined them by phone.   We read Where The Crawdads Sing.  I enjoyed the book and give it a 9 out of 10.   It did not end the way I thought it would.  The gals said the movie followed the book quite well. 

Far Side

 

Cards and Book Club

 The Christmas Cards keep finding us.  Missouri, Iowa, Indiana and Minnesota.

My Joy box is getting full! 

Far Guy's Infusion went just fine...it was a one stick day!!  He rested in the afternoon and we took supper down to him and ate at the game table downstairs with him.  Roasted chicken, potatoes, corn, carrots and a fruit salad....okay... well maybe not exactly a salad...snickers candy bars, green apples and cool whip. 

I had Book Club in the afternoon.

We read The Children's Blizzard, it happened on January 12, 1888.  Many children were caught in the blizzard at school and attempted to go home.  It is based on a true story.  I give it an 8 out of 10 stars...it was a little long on the history of The Signal Corps...they were in charge of weather predictions...which was very political at that time.  

Far Guy may be a tad bit better, he had a bacterial lung infection, he sees his Doctor again on Monday.  

Far Side