Me and a Bee

On Saturday, October 13th during a football game at Pine Park in Fruitport, Michigan, I was watching my oldest grandson play, I befriended a bee. Just a small bee, you know the ones that gently buzz your face and softly glide across with a mellow sound, not like obnoxious bumble bees that fly right in your vision line and BUZZ in your face and of course my reaction is to yell and then of course run for the hills. No this bee just gently landed on my lap, than my shoulder and then arm and the weather was chilly so I knew he was a bit sluggish. He even landed on my daughter a few times. The sun had fought its way through the storm clouds and maintained his warming presence for a good half hour. Let me tell you that felt really, really good to chilled body. (Ah, the things we do for our grandchildren) Anyway to get back to my story.

My daughter had brought a baggie of Fruit Loops for her youngest son for a snack and since I had already bought him hot cocoa, a hot dog with all the fixins' and fruit snack from the concession stand, he wasn't interested in the Fruit Loops so after my daughter had put a couple out for the bee on the ground to keep him away, I took the bag, opened it wider to allow access to the gentle creature. Now I'm thinking to myself this is pretty cool. I love animals and certain insects, but I've never had any type of interaction with a bee except running away or getting stung by wasp.

The bee had made his way into the baggie and just so he wouldn't suffocate, I tore open the baggie wider and placed it in the shade next to me. Ocassionally I would check on him and each time he was enjoying eating the sugar off the cereal and climbing through the holes of the Loops. I really couldn't say how long we stayed close, but eventually he was full and wired. I don't know what happened, but suddenly I felt something against my back. I'm talking against my flesh so I reach under my winter coat as I'm sitting on the ground and try to shoo away whatever had dared to enter.