Honey bees

I was thinking today -- well, I think everyday, but this thought was something I thought I'd share, like it or not!

As I was driving home I spotted a row of beehives, and I got to thinking about bees. What would we do without them?

I know we don't enjoy the pain they inflict upon us if we swat them, but have you ever held a bee in your hand or let it land on your arm and not molest it, so that it strikes out at you and stings you? No, of course not. That's what I was thinking -- what would happen if I had a bee land on me and didn't hurt it. In theory, at least, it's not supposed to sting me. Would it? Am I brave enough to allow such an even to happen? I don't know.

I'm getting braver in my approaching "wild" animals -- by that I mean birds. I didn't used to want to get near them. Remember the Alfred Hitchcock movie entitled The Birds? Well, that movie is still fresh in my feeble mind, or has been for years, so my enjoy birds except from afar -- very afar -- has been nil.

My brother, Mark, enjoys birds, and my mom loved them. As I've mentioned before she would search for birds on our walks in the woods and point out something new. She especially loved gold finches. Now, in New Jersey, there aren't many gold finches. Out here, in northern Kentucky, you might say they were the state bird. They're not, bluebirds are, but you get my drift. They are abundant. They are cute little things, and they flit from tree to tree enjoying each others company -- at least in my imagination they do.

I'm going in another direction, so pay attention here: I'm wondering why the Kentucky state bird is a bluebird. I have seen only one in all the years I've lived around here. Maybe they don't cross the Ohio river, and that's why I never saw one in Cincinnati. But even here in Cold Spring, I can only say I've seen one -- in seven years, one bluebird. Surely, there are more somewhere in the state, just hiding out from me. I've seen many, many cardinals, robins, blue jays (not the same bird), gold finches, hummingbirds, mocking birds, morning doves, pigeons, hawks, I could go on and on, but I'll stop. Alas, no bluebirds.

Now, back to the subject at hand which was honey bees. I think I'm going to perform an experiment the next time I'm in the area of bees -- which should be Monday when the family goes to the park for a picnic -- and see if a bee will land on me without stinging me, or me swatting it first, making it think I'm going to harm it, so that it strikes back and pierces me. I'll let you know what happens.