09 September 2009

The Bee Whisperer

"Bees to whom days are but duties
And what matters
Only honey furnished interior,
Hive they in a peaceful tree
house..."
~ from a poem entitled "Bees" by Yoonoos Peerbocus


Just a quick update on what has come to be known as the Great Bee Situation of 2009...



My husband is now officially known as, "The Bee Whisperer." {Can you tell that we have been watching a lot of Cesar Millan marathons?}

After I found the the hole and dragged my fearless hubby to the site, he calmly went about clogging the hole around the meter pipe with a healthy dose of caulk all while fending off the little buzzers with a can of hornet spray. And I? Stood about 12 feet away. I am still not sure what sort of bees these were, but the "sweat bee" might not be far off the mark as he said that they were completely harmless and not confrontational. Still, they are bees. And in my house. Of course, their little friends were locked outside and kept coming the entrance to be denied. I kind of felt sorry for them and could feel their confusion.


But now I had that ceiling full of bees. And I {fearlessly?} worked that entire night with the bees just a buzzin' in the ceiling and making a dull tap-tap-tap sound on the ceiling tiles occasionally finding a crack to crawl out of and plop down unceremoniously on my work table. My music could drown it out, but not the bee that made a swooping dash for freedom around midnight.

You would think that now that I know the situation, I would come into my studio armed with a swatter and a baggy jump suit with a screened hood, but the closest thing I had handy is a vintage book of French poetry that seems to work reasonably well with swatting and then smooshing. The up side is that I have picked up quite a collection of pretty bee specimens to study. The Bee Whisperer simply looks at me like I have finally inhaled too many fumes in there or maybe hit my head with a texturing hammer. I might be mildly disturbed {okay, calmly terrified?} by bees in my ceiling, but I do appreciate their beauty in nature {where they belong}. I have to admit that they make the cutest little jewelry motifs. {Come to think of it, I have quite a few bee-inspired items in my studio, so maybe I was attracting them! Maybe bees will become my thing.....like Heather has her birds and Lorelei has her owls....}

So I begged him to do something so that I didn't feel so creepy-crawly and bless his soul, he did. When we came home he entered the bee den and came out about an hour later to inform me that my bee-friends are {mostly} gone and also that I have an inordinate amount of dust {how did he overlooked the clutter?} on my shelves. Is it any different from any other place in the house? I asked. Hmmm...that seemed to stop that line of questioning since we are all at fault in the rest of the house.

So now...I am mostly bee-free. Yippee! {Doing a little bee-dance!} Oh, there are a few stragglers, but I can deal with that. And my husband wins the "Best Attempt to Rescue a Damsel in Distress" award.



{Monterey, California, September 2008}

Introducing...My hero. The Bee Whisperer.

Hey! You know that design that I made that is my current header? Well, I entered it in the September Challenge at the Vintaj Blog for their "Orchard's Palette" theme. There are so many wonderful artists who submit their designs there and it energizes me to partipate in these fun exchanges here and elsewhere. I encourage you to go and check out the amazing work at Vintaj Blog "Orchard's Palette"and vote for your favorite (but hurry...voting is only open until Sunday, September 13th!). And if you like mine...... it is #16. Thanks!



Check It Out::BeeOtch {Okay... this? Just made me laugh out loud! I totally had to buy this for myself!}

Enjoy the day!

11 comments:

Lorelei Eurto said...

Dear Beeotch and The Bee Whisperer,
(he he he he)
I will never forget this hilarious story! And I pray that you don't get mean spirited anonymous comments about how you killed the bees instead of setting them free outside. gah!
I wanna see some major BEE jewelry comin' outta ya Erin, get to it!

stregata said...

Glad to hear the bee situation is (mostly) under control. Early this summer I had a hornet making her nest above the (outside) door of my studio, but apparently she met an untimely death, because it has been very quiet there lately. I didn't wish that to happen, but on the other hand, I'm glad I don't have to contend with whole bunch of them - they are really huge!

ClickNCamera said...

What an ordeal you've had! You are so lucky your man isn't allergic to any of the "bee family"! We've had our share of those pests. I'm known as the "Wasp Terminator" at our house and the neighbors think I have fits of spontaneous dance while I'm gardening. I'm wondering if my guy is REALLY allergic or have I been had? Love your entry and will go vote!

Silver Parrot said...

At least your story is making me not mind my giant spider (who is STILL in the back yard getting bigger and bigger munching on flies) so much. I'm allergic to bee stings plus we have the more aggressive Africanized bees here so bees freak me out a lot more than other things. I would NEVER have been able to work in the studio with them around like you did. You AND your bee whisperer are very brave :-)

Jenners said...

Oh Dear ... bees belong OUTSIDE in nature -- along with all bugs and animals. I'm a big fan of nature and all "live and let live" UNLESS they come into my house. I would have gone to a hotel until I was 100% sure all bees were gone. Ick. And once I was sleeping (in my old house) and woke up when a bee stung my lip -- in the middle of the night. In my bed. It was freaky and scary. Hence my extreme reaction to your situation. You're lucky to have the Bee Whisperer.

Leslie @ Bei Mondi said...

I bet you husband loves the name, "Bee Whisperer". It sounds so manly! You were so brave to keep working while they were buzzing around and could possibly dive bomb you. And the Bee-otch necklace is so cute. Fitting for your situation.

Oh, I voted for your necklace. Love it! The colors, the style, the beads. I like all of it. Hope you win!

Sharon said...

I once "slayed" a giant five inch wasp in my classroom with a broom complete with screaming and cheering children. I trapped the sucker between the window and blinds and let him have it. I am forever known as The Bee Slayer. That's a kenning, but you already know that!
Enjoy your Bee-Otch necklace!

mairedodd said...

tests for sure, right? 'that which does not kill us, only makes us stronger' - true, but yeah, yeah, yeah while we are going thru! so glad the end is in sight... and a testiment to your dedication that they did not keep you out of your studio! :0) your necklace is gorgeous and deserves to win... i by accident sent in too many submissions and they chose one for me... so glad you guys worked it out... ever since i read 'the secret life of bees' i have loved the motif... now in my home, spiders seem to be an issue... and every one comes to me because i am the catch and release person (and they just don't want to do it!)... but i will not be using spiders in my work ~ not because i do not appreciate their web artistry, just because it's not happenin' ... have a great weekend!

Sherry said...

The Bee-otch and the Bee Whisperer...too funny!! But I'm glad you have the situation under control!!

Dr. Denise Tucker said...

Loved this post. Have you read "The Bee Keepers Apprentice" by Laurie King, the first book in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes mystery series? Great series!...
I have a friend who makes handmade beeswax candles, The Cottage Stillroom in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Bless our little bee friends..

Diane said...

Voted for yours Erin! It is the best =)
xoxoxo

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