Walking Rancho Hermosa

Beautiful Deadly Blossoms and Bees

Yesterday while painting on the Patio, there was a loud buzzing on the east side of the house. I ran over and peered around the corner, and there was a bee swarm flying around like crazy. Calling out to Scoschi, Scoschi Sscoschi House , into the house !!! the sliding door was open and she came quickly and we made it into the house without being stung. That is a good thing, for I'm allergic to bee stings.

Shaking and breathing hard from the Adrenalin surge, we both sat on the sofa and looked out side. There were no bees to see, but we stayed in for hours to make sure.

Going to Wiki, I found that bees can fly up to 15 miles an hour, and that I should run at least 100 yards to outrun them. Humph...at 84 I walk about 2.5 miles an hour, and I'm not a football player how can I do this 100 yard run. So what to do if I'm out on My morning walk at there is a bee swarm coming at me?

Contemplating this, Scoschi and I are walking up San Dimas toward the place where we always stop at the end of San Miguel Court to survey the Valley. There up ahead on the sidewalk are beautiful white blossoms. Scoschi walking ahead of me makes a run for them. She has never seen them before, and being a puppy, all is fair to sniff and possibly eat. I recognize the blossoms as Oleander blossoms and call out to Scoschi “no no”...she stops and we make a wide path around them, they are so lovely...

Oleanders are deadly to people and pets. One leaf can kill a dog. Any part of the Oleander will make a human sick and possibly kill if enough is ingested. The smoke can also kill or make you sick. It is said that the Roman soldiers used smoke to kill their opponents. Along the freeways you can see these bushes with their beautiful white and pink blossoms waving their cane in the breeze.

Still contemplating the bee episode, I look around and though it is only 6:00 AM the sun will be up and the warming flora will attract the bees. The flowers in the many gardens are splendid in their water color compositions , but the bees will come. WOW...walking is supposed to be calming and a time for introspection on the bounty of nature and the melding of our human self. Blossoms and Bees, and calming Nature, how do I come to terms with the paradoxical elements of these two thoughts swirling round in my brain?

So here I am...walking in my beautiful Rancho Hermosa neighborhood with thoughts of mortality making me fearful. Hmmmm...then the thought of fear its self being the source...so Stop, and think that never have you seen a swarm on any of your walks. The Oleander is not a threat to Scoschi because you are ever caring of what the little one can smell on our walks. So think calm. Pondering my own advice, we come to the end of San Miguel Court, the sun is blasting its way onto this new day, and the day will be a fine one because I have kicked the fear over the fence and watched it vanish into the rays of the sun. It will be a fine Day.