Rooster and Bumble

You've Gotta Know when to Hold 'Em

Poor Rooster.

All he wanted was to ride his bike in the driveway. He had a marvelous time doing that; in fact, all three kids were enjoying the last moments of their day on bikes. Lulu was loving her very first spin on a two wheeler.

Suddenly I realized he was enchanted by a large fuzzy buzzy bumblebee hovering around him. He giggled and laughed as it landed on his shirt.

Look, everyone! He likes me!

And my sweet boy petted the bumblebee. He just wanted to hold it!

And time slowed down.

I moved as quickly yet non-alarmingly as I could, shooing the bumble away. But the bumble was suddenly back. Rooster grabbed the bumble and threw it to the ground. I waved my hands around his head, trying to clear the airspace while not teaching my children to panic and run from a bumble. After all, I know they are non aggressive and usually only accidentally get into a person's airspace.

Suddenly, inexplicably, Rooster clutched his face, attempting to pull another bumble off his eye. I knew I was too late but reached in and swiped that bumble away, a moment too late.

The Captain swooped in and carried the Rooster inside for necessary attention. I looked at the girls and began to explain how it was now time to go inside. Only there was another bumble circling Lulu. I continued gently waving my hands around her airspace, only to have it turn its attentions toward me.

What is up with these bumblebees???

Know When to Walk Away, Know When to RUN!
Then Boo realized another one was barnstorming her hair. She ducked and I swiped. We looked and saw four or five bumbles, and they started to look to us like a gang of thugs with bad things in their hearts.

I called retreat. We ditched bikes on the driveway, not even pausing to kick down the stands. I scooped up the baby and we ran into the house to let those buzzy bumblebees settle themselves down and work out their anger elsewhere.

Later I realized the bumblebees have made a nest (hive?) in the garage, right in the very front corner through a crack in the brick. We had been standing about two feet from their entrance, and they were probably feeling threatened by these large beings in their airspace.

I am no fan of jacket bees, as we call the aggressive yellow jackets. I have a healthy respect for honeybees. But bumblebees! They are so big and fat and slow! I never in all my life thought a bumblebee would sting, or that a group of them would pull together and start to swarm us!

But I never reckoned on the delight of my precious son, who loved the bumble by petting it, squeezing it and scaring it half to death. What else is a bumble going to do?

Fortunately, the swelling was localized. Unfortunately, it was right by his eye. But fortunately, the swelling had already started to go down by the time he went to bed an hour later. After a valiant treatment effort by Captain Medic, followed by the treat of getting to play on Daddy's iPhone, Rooster finished the day in good spirits.

I hope someday he can forgive the bumbles. Meantime, we have all learned to have a more healthy respect for those juicy, fuzzy buzzers.