There's a bee in the house tonight

There's a bee in the house tonight and I feel both sad and hopeful.

I'm sad because she will die. She has been throwing herself up against a ceiling light and she will wear herself out and die. Even if I were to try to rescue her, she's probably a lost cause.

I have no idea how she got in. The glass doors are closed between the sunporch and the house so coming in through some secret opening in the sunporch windows isn't how she got here. Probably she came in on the back of one of the dogs.

I'm hopeful because her presence to me means that spring is really just around the corner. In bee season, I have a bee or two in the house almost every night. With my hives just feet from the door to my house, it is hard to prevent the arrival of a bee in the house. The inside bees don't sting - they are much too frantically trying to kill themselves on the lights.

Note: The bee book I am reading for February is Robbing the Bees by Holley Bishop. My sweet daughter gave it to me for my birthday and I am enjoying reading this "biography of honey."

Bear-y dogs

My dog Henry is a small Pomeranian who this morning ran into my office area and then dashed uncharacteristically out and back again. He then ran into the closet (he never does this) and dashed back down the hall. On the next dash I stood up and followed him to find out what the excitement was. When we reached the den he sat down and looked at me expectantly.

I didn't get it, so I went back to my room again and he dashed ahead of me. Then I heard it - the sound of a buzzing bee. I couldn't see the bee. The ones in my house usually go toward the light bulbs but no bee was there. Then I realized the problem. Henry had a bee deep in his fur and wanted me to rescue him from her potential attack. I couldn't find the bee and in the end Henry squashed her and left her on the floor near my chair!

I don't think he was stung this time, although he has had that experience before. Every time he goes near the hives, he gets bees in his long black coat. I believe the bees think he is a bear.