It was an ordinary day. Mowing the grass for the first time this summer. It was getting long in some places while in others it hasn't begun to grow yet. Began mowing my .9 acre lawn and in no time was on the final stretch of yard above my driveway that led to the garage. All of a sudden I saw movement in the grass ahead me. Stopped and watched as three very young rabbits ran from their home along my mowing route to safety. Visually sighted where I thought they had ran from and got off the mower and walked to the spot. There was a pile of twigs about an inch high and when I slowly lifted one end, saw a couple more baby bunnies. Got back on my mower and headed the opposite direction. The mowing of this area can wait until next week. The same thing happened last year in another area if the yard and I didn't see one of the young bunnies in time and ran over him. Something I will never forget or forgive myself for doing. Just too much time to live yet and to have to finish the job just to make it look good isn't a reason anymore. Years ago much the same thing happened when I ran into a small nest of bees with the mower. Now that didn't take me long to put the mower on fast and head back to the garage. Luckily the next week the nest was empty when I reached it. I have a friend who raised honey bees for a few years in his back yard.
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| Hal and his HoneyBees |
Fellow Industrial Arts teacher who built the hives himself in his basement woodshop. Beautiful job and the bees began to arrive shortly after he placed them at the foot of his property. I made a few visits to watch him work with the bees and then traveled with him when he harvested the honey from the hive inserts at a relative's house. Took photos and added a few stories titled "Hal's Hives". You can type that in the white box, top left to read them. Well, I never got stung when I went to watch him harvest the honey so I have no idea if I am allergic to be stings.  |
| Here you can see some of the honey that had been made in the beehive. |
You may not be aware of an allergy until you're stung. About 5% of the population is allergic to insect stings. Reactions to insect stings range in severity from minor to potentially fatal. Bee and other insect stings are usually only annoying and can cause a brief, sharp pain along with swelling and redness. Home treatment is all that's necessary in that case. If you get a more severe reaction you may need emergency attention. If that is the case, your immune system produces immunoglobulin E which reacts to the venom injected by the insect. This triggers your body's release of histamine and other chemicals that can cause severe responses such as itching and hives, swelling of the throat and tongue, difficulty breathing, dizziness and nausea, stomach cramps and diarrhea and rapid fall in blood pressure which can result in shock and loss of consciousness. As soon as you get stung, remove the stinger and wash the sting area with soap and water. If you notice a minor reaction, use an oral antihistamine. If it is more serious call 911 immediately. Hal always made sure he was protected with a covering over his entire body, but if you happen to be mowing and run into a hive of bees you will have a tough time trying to outrun them. Be prepared and have a phone handy in case you need to dial 911. Never fun to run into anything while mowing the grass and I try my hardest to keep my eyes on the area in front of me, but...you never know what can be lurching in that high grass once you begin your mowing. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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