The Mystery of the Abandoned Hive

I went down to the shed on our property to check it out and noticed a lot of buzzing critters around a stack of old trash cans beside the building. Returned the next day with a camera to confirm what I saw.

It looked like bees were going in and out of the bottom two cans.  They seemed like honeybees

A couple weeks later I realized that I did not see the bees, even on a warm day when they should have been active. Some days later I investigated further. (Got brave enough to disturb the trash cans.) No bees. Another week and still no bees, so pulled the cans apart. Found old honeycombs were in them, but no sign of live bees. Also found two wood rats inside. I don’t know if the rats drove the bees away or if they were simply scavengers.

Talk about the weather

I have lived in California long enough that it now seems normal for the hillsides to be green at Christmas and by Memorial Day weekend they have turned a crispy brown shade (otherwise called “golden” in the tourist information.)Summer weather is typically month’s of the same forecast — just minor adjustments for the temperature highs and lows.

This year has been an exception in that respect.  Late rains were just enough so that some faint patches of green still remained on most of our nearby hills by the end of May.  The weather for the first weekend in June has been even more remarkable.  It actually rained! Not the “it never rains in California in the summer” rain where most of it dries before hitting the sidewalk.  Not the coastal fog so thick that the moisture drips from trees.  But actual, normal, enough to refill the bird bath, real rain.

So it rained on a couple of parades.  Countless outdoor events were dampened.  Some crops were at critical stages and received damage. But compared to the floods, tornadoes, fires and other natural disasters in the recent news, this was more of a case of Mother Nature providing many California residents a little something extra to help us remember the weekend events.

One Snake, Two Snakes…

One warm afternoon when I went outside, I noticed a snake sunning itself on the driveway. I happened to have my cell phone in my pocket, so I tried to get a few photos before encouraging the snake to find a safer place for it to sunbath.

The sun was at an angle where I had troubles seeing what was on the cell phone screen. I clicked and moved a bit closer, planning to get it from a better vantage. Then I noticed the snake was moving and when I looked at it directly, I discovered the snake was actually two snakes. One quickly moved off into the brush. It wasn’t until I saw the photo on the larger screen of my computer that I found that I had been lucky to get a shot of both snakes, side by side.

With a little encouragement, the second snake headed for the hills to join its companion. Once they were off the asphalt, it was extremely hard to see them. Their camouflage was excellent for the situation.

 

 

 

Starting Points

It is said that even the longest journey starts with a single step. That first step often seems to be the hardest to make. I wonder if that is why so many books and movies start in the middle of the story and fill in the earlier details later. I think that’s how I will begin here.