books: what are you currently reading?

[Silence Dogood]

Based on S.D.'s recommendation, I just finished the Mike Campbell audiobook. Wow, what a fantastic rock autobiography! What an interesting story of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and told so well. I highly recommend the book, and if you can/want to, listen to the audiobook read by Mike himself.

So glad you enjoyed this one.  There are few pleasures like that of finding a great book to get lost in.  I'll probably wait till next year when much of the details wear off and give it another go.  Very few modern books make it to my re-read pile. 

[Silence Dogood]

And today was Bee Day.
I picked up 6 lbs (20,000 bees).

Wow, this is a completely fascinating hobby!   Dumb question: Do you ever get stung? 

One of my favorite shows is Small Town Big Deal and they recently had an episode featuring beekeeping. The hosts and the lady who runs the honey business were covered head to toe in protective gear, but her husband only covered his face.  It was a good episode you might enjoy.  If you're interested, go to about 12:45 on the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV-DGA8I2BY

[Queequeg]

Wow, this is a completely fascinating hobby!   Dumb question: Do you ever get stung? 

Funny story-
Last year, I worked two different apiaries so I was in numerous hives once or sometimes twice a week all year (except the dead of winter). Never got stung once.
Then two weeks ago I went for a bike ride and found myself near one of these same apiaries, so I stopped by just to see how the bees were doing. It was a beautiful spring day. Sunny and about 80º; what I would call a "perfect bee day". They should be very happy and calm.
When I got about 50 or 60 feet from the hives this swarm came after me in a big way. I got stung on the ear and I tore off my bike helmet and dropped my bike and ran back to the road.
The problem then was I had to return to rescue my bike and helmet.
Just wait 15 minutes for them to calm down and then grab the bike & helmet, I thought. So after 15 minutes I walked back over and before I ever got to my bike these angry bees started after me again.
hmmm...
I beat a hasty retreat and avoided getting stung again.
I need a new plan.
More time. Give them an hour. So I went into the Botanical Gardens main building and spoke with the woman at the desk. I told her my story and ended with a strange request. Did she have any cologne or perfume with her? You see, getting stung, I now had "angry bee pheromones" on me, which would alert all bees in the vicinity that I was a threat. I was hoping to mask these pheromones to prevent that. Well, she had neither cologne nor perfume but she offered up some Cutters insect repellent. I was skeptical but accepted her offer and sprayed an excessive amount of Cutters on myself and rubbed even more around my ear.
After an hour I had developed my new plan.
I would run fast as I could, grab my helmet and bike quickly, turn around and run back, stopping for nothing. No matter what!
So, with courage slightly dominating fear I was ready to execute The Plan.
Off I went. Got to the bike & helmet and I'm hearing lots of buzz.(Angry bees make much more noise than calm, happy bees.)
I spun around without stopping but they were on me. Work The Plan! Interestingly, they went right for my ear. The same ear where I still have a pheromone-drenched stinger embedded in the skin. I felt the second sting hit me an inch away from the first one, but I kept running.
Until...with a helmet in one hand and a bicycle in the other, my shorts fell down around my ankles.
Should anyone ever ask you, it's difficult to run with your pants down around your feet.
But I made it back to the road somehow without getting stung again and the bees quit following me.
Speaking with my beekeeper mentor later she told there was a very angry swarm of wild bees (not from our club's hives) in a pine tree directly above the spot when I was attacked.

[Silence Dogood]

Funny story-
Last year, I worked two different apiaries so I was in numerous hives once or sometimes twice a week all year (except the dead of winter). Never got stung once.
Then two weeks ago I went for a bike ride and found myself near one of these same apiaries, so I stopped by just to see how the bees were doing. It was a beautiful spring day. Sunny and about 80º; what I would call a "perfect bee day". They should be very happy and calm.
When I got about 50 or 60 feet from the hives this swarm came after me in a big way. I got stung on the ear and I tore off my bike helmet and dropped my bike and ran back to the road.
The problem then was I had to return to rescue my bike and helmet.
Just wait 15 minutes for them to calm down and then grab the bike & helmet, I thought. So after 15 minutes I walked back over and before I ever got to my bike these angry bees started after me again.
hmmm...
I beat a hasty retreat and avoided getting stung again.
I need a new plan.
More time. Give them an hour. So I went into the Botanical Gardens main building and spoke with the woman at the desk. I told her my story and ended with a strange request. Did she have any cologne or perfume with her? You see, getting stung, I now had "angry bee pheromones" on me, which would alert all bees in the vicinity that I was a threat. I was hoping to mask these pheromones to prevent that. Well, she had neither cologne nor perfume but she offered up some Cutters insect repellent. I was skeptical but accepted her offer and sprayed an excessive amount of Cutters on myself and rubbed even more around my ear.
After an hour I had developed my new plan.
I would run fast as I could, grab my helmet and bike quickly, turn around and run back, stopping for nothing. No matter what!
So, with courage slightly dominating fear I was ready to execute The Plan.
Off I went. Got to the bike & helmet and I'm hearing lots of buzz.(Angry bees make much more noise than calm, happy bees.)
I spun around without stopping but they were on me. Work The Plan! Interestingly, they went right for my ear. The same ear where I still have a pheromone-drenched stinger embedded in the skin. I felt the second sting hit me an inch away from the first one, but I kept running.
Until...with a helmet in one hand and a bicycle in the other, my shorts fell down around my ankles.
Should anyone ever ask you, it's difficult to run with your pants down around your feet.
But I made it back to the road somehow without getting stung again and the bees quit following me.
Speaking with my beekeeper mentor later she told there was a very angry swarm of wild bees (not from our club's hives) in a pine tree directly above the spot when I was attacked.

WOW!  Crazy story.  I'm trying to picture how comical this all would have looked from a distance: a grown man running and waving away angry bees, and then his shorts come down around his ankles!
  

Bees, hornets, etc. are funny creatures.  I still can never figure out exactly what spooks them or sets them off.  I (unknowingly) walked under a yellowjacket nest that was tucked beneath an overhang on my house several years ago.  The nest emptied and landed on my face in about half a second.  I didn't even know what was happening.  I was stung something like nine times on the face.  Ended up in the ER getting fire injected into my hinder parts by a doctor that looked like she was 13 years old.  Not a fun day. 

[Queequeg]

WOW!  Crazy story.  I'm trying to picture how comical this all would have looked from a distance: a grown man running and waving away angry bees, and then his shorts come down around his ankles!
  

Bees, hornets, etc. are funny creatures.  I still can never figure out exactly what spooks them or sets them off.  I (unknowingly) walked under a yellowjacket nest that was tucked beneath an overhang on my house several years ago.  The nest emptied and landed on my face in about half a second.  I didn't even know what was happening.  I was stung something like nine times on the face.  Ended up in the ER getting fire injected into my hinder parts by a doctor that looked like she was 13 years old.  Not a fun day. 

Yellowjackets are ALWAYS angry. Very aggressive. And unlike honeybees, they can and will sting multiple times.  Assume the worst.
Thanks for the YouTube. 

[StringPicker6]

I busted out laughing when you said your pants fell down!!!