Bees Knees Beekeeping: toaster cozy

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Day #340 WAG

If you missed the open house at WAG’s new office yesterday evening, you missed a good time indeed.

Lots of people showed up to see the little house, to eat yummy food, and to hear a reading from Violet as an Amethyst. I read the scene where Glaze and Biscuit see the lost dog for the first time and talked about how I could change it depending on which dog won the drawing.

Of course, people were showing me pictures of their dogs right and left. “This dog would be the best, don’t you think?” I had to spread my hands in an “it’s not up to me” gesture. Naturally, I’d like it all the dogs could win.

WAG (Walton Animal Guild) rescues animals from the county shelter and finds homes for them, primarily through showing them at the Logansville PetSmart. It was a day without too much bee activity in my life. I was centered on dogs and my books.

Here’s the page on their website where they talk about the drawing – and you can donate there, too.

http://www.wagwalton.com/News.php

BUT – before I drove all the way top Loganville, I had to be sure my bees had food, so I dressed up in my Michelin Man outfit – four heavy layers everywhere, including the toaster cover over my head under the bee veil. I took this picture of my reflection in the sliding glass door. You can just see the toaster cover behind the screen of the bee veil.

Quit laughing. Oh, what the heck, go ahead. I’m laughing right along with you.

BEEattitude for Day # 341:

Blessed are those who don't mind looking foolish, for they shall find themselves in all sorts of adventures.

__________________________

Green as a Garden Hose, the 3^rd Biscuit McKee Mystery,

is now available in mass market paperback

from World Wide Mystery, a division of Harlequin.

(Go to www.eHarlequin.com and search for Fran Stewart)

All the Biscuit McKee mysteries are available as eBooks, too!

_______________________________

There’s still time

to get your dog in my next book!

From now through the end of September, anyone who donates $10 to WAG, also known as the Walton Animal Guild, will be automatically entered in a drawing.

If you win, your dog will be in my next Biscuit McKee mystery!

http://www.wagwalton.com/News.php

The donate button is right on their home page

Every $10 donation is automatically entered in the drawing

See Blog #324 for the details.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Day #333 A Monkey Wrench in my Spokes

If you’re afraid of bees to begin with, you might want to skip today’s post.

I got stung again. Thursday morning, just one sting, on my left hand where the web of skin stretches between the thumb and first finger.

I was ready for it this time. Or so I thought. I came inside, took some Benedryl, and waltzed on through my day. The swelling just keeps spreading; it’s two-thirds of the way up my arm toward my elbow now. My whole hand, as you can see, looks like a stuffed sausage.

But then, Friday afternoon, one of the hives had eaten its way through the sugar water and needed to be refilled. Did I want a repeat performance? NO.

So I put on three layers everywhere:

>> long-sleeved blouse, winter jacket, AND my bee-inspector suit

>> two pairs of heavy-duty socks and my Wellington boots

>> slacks, sweatpants, AND those huge pants I bought at the Good Will Store

Before I went outside I wrapped a heavy scarf around my hair and topped it with – get this – a quilted, well-padded toaster cozy that’s patterned after a little English cottage. No, I did not take a picture of myself looking like that! Then I pulled the bee-hood over my head and zipped everything up.

Next I pulled on some heavy winter gloves – not easy over my swollen hand AND added my heavy-duty leather work gloves.

I looked like a cartoon version of the Michelin Man, but there was NO WAY a stinger was going to get to me.

Once I was ready, I took the fresh jar of sugar water outside, pulled off the empty bottle, replaced it with the full one, waited for the bees to stop flying around me, and came inside where I had to reverse the process. The gloves came off first, followed by the hood and the English cottage toaster-hat. And so on.

The good news is that, even if I looked ridiculous, I did not get stung. The good news where my hand is concerned is that, although I can’t flex three of the four fingers, I no longer have any wrinkles on that hand. That oughta be worth something...

BEEattitude for Day # 333:

Blessed are those who aren’t afraid to look foolish, for they shall open whole new worlds.