We’ve all heard about the fascinating chemical secreted by animals (and humans too). Pheromones act as a signal to attract males and females to each other, and as romance readers, we’ve seen them at work between the pages of the love stories we so enjoy.
But pheromones don’t only induce feelings of love and flitting through the daisies. Oh no, there’s a beastly side to them too, which we discovered last weekend.
On Tuesday a week ago, I drove to my sister’s farm. She had undergone a total knee replacement, and I offered to help during her recovery.
The farm has been a wonderful writing retreat for me during this time—I even managed to finish writing my latest book which releases March 26th). Unless my sister needs something, there are no distractions.
Except for her puzzles.
Spotting the half-built 2000 piece on her dining room table, I told myself not to even glance at it. But guess what? I looked and subsequently lost over two days of precious writing time. On the flip side, I managed to finish the beautiful Cotswold-type scene.
Last Friday I was building the puzzle when I heard a commotion at the dining room door. I thought the dogs had been let out. My brother-in-law, Danie, came to see what was happening and discovered that the bees living in the roof on the other side of his house were swarming at the door and stinging his daughter’s dog. While he tried to get the dog to their home next door, getting stung in the process, my sister shouted from the kitchen that their big Rottweilers were being attacked by the bees at the kitchen door.
We quickly let the two dogs inside, and they brought with them about a hundred bees, clinging to their coats.
Yikes!
And the dogs ran to US for cover!
Soon, bees buzzed in our hair and stung through our clothes. I needed to kill the bees on the dogs, but was too afraid to swat them in case the dogs turned on me. Instead, I hit the air wildly with a fly swatter—which only served to anger the bees more—squealing every time one nabbed me.
Now I don’t do insect sprays. At all. I even avoid picking up a tin of the stuff. But when Danie turned the can of repellent on me and the dogs, I didn’t protest. Anything to stop the buzzing and the stinging. Finally, I hightailed it down the passage and hopped beneath a running shower, clothes and all.
The final nab count was: me, eight—my wrist, back, and legs; my sister, two; and I’m not sure how many Danie got, but it was way more than me. And he’s allergic to bee stings!
With the interior bee problem semi-resolved, we now faced another problem—finding medication to counteract any allergic reactions. I was so concerned because if Danie went into anaphylactic shock (a real possibility as he was allergic, and I didn’t know HOW allergic), I was in BIG trouble. The nearest hospital is fifty minutes away, and we were being held hostage by crazy bees. They swarmed around every door, waiting for someone or something to appear. It was like a scene out of a Hitchcock movie, as if they KNEW we were inside.
Finally, we managed to find antihistamine tablets. Danie got a double dose.
Now Baxter, their prize Rottweiler, was in another fenced off part of the garden. And it was impossible for anyone to get out the house to see if he was all right. When the sun had almost set and the bees calmed somewhat, Danie went looking for Baxter. Darkness set and he had to give up the search. The next morning, Baxter was found dead in the garden. He’d jumped the fence, and the bees had chased him.
We managed to find a local beekeeper who came out that Saturday night. Three men worked tirelessly for five hours under the cloak of night with only the small lights attached to their heads, to remove most of the enormous hive and bees.
Two days later, when I wrote this blog, we were still under “house arrest”, the remaining bees still unsettled. It was almost impossible to go outside without being chased by the tiny insects. Who would think that such small, industrious creatures, who produce such sweet nectar, could create so much havoc?
I live in South Africa, and Africanized bees are way more defensive than another other bee species. The African honeybee reacts to disturbances faster. They can chase a person a quarter of a mile. They kill, victims receiving ten times more stings than from European honeybees. And while their venom is no more dangerous than regular honeybees, they do attack in greater numbers.
Why did the bees go crazy on the farm last weekend? Who knows? Explanations range from the excessive heat to queenlessness to nectar dearth and robbing. I suspect the latter. It is with the robbing of hives by other bees that an alarm pheromone is released, making the bees aggressive. Then any man and his dog are fair game, as we found out.
So, give me the pheromones on paper any day—those sweet romantic feelings that happen when boy meets girl—to this awful experience. But, like any good or bad experiences in my life, I’ll not let this one go to waste. There will definitely be a beekeeper hero (or heroine) in one of my future stories.
Out of interest, I did a search under Romance and Christian Romance books on Amazon for “bees”. I was pleasantly surprised to see several titles pop up. How to Charm a Beekeeper’s Heart by inspirational romance author Candice Sue Patterson caught my eye. I think I’ll need to download that to my Kindle sometime soon.
My book, A Hero for Heather, sports a hero with a bee sting allergy. Have you read any romances that revolve around bees, or have the word bee in the title?
I’ll be giving away an e-copy of A Hero for Heather to one person who comments on this post by next Friday, March 8th. Winner to be announced on Sunday, March 10th.
USA Today bestselling author, MARION UECKERMANN’s passion for writing was sparked when she moved to Ireland with her family. Her love of travel has influenced her contemporary inspirational romances set in novel places. Marion and her husband again live in South Africa and are setting their sights on retirement when they can join their family in the beautiful Cape.
I don’t recall any with bee in the title but I believe I remember a book where a child was stung and someone used like paprika or something like that for the sting.
No titles come to mind.
The bees sound scary. The native bees we have in Australia do not sting.
I recall any books with bees or bee keepers either. I do know my mother would have been in major problems with the bees. She was allergic not to the point of needing an epi pen but if she got that many she may have been in major trouble. I remember her getting stung on her hand once and it swelled to about 3 times its size in moments. I have a friends son who is the same one sting and he does go into shock and has to get to hospital ASAP.
I do feel for you all and am so sorry about the loss of the pet dog.
On swarms I have one here every spring I get several inside but not to that degree and not to be held hostage.
Oh my, Marion! That is horrible. Is this a normal accordance there or did something actually cause it. There not quite that bad here in America, or at least in my area of Texas. Not to long ago, there was a huge bee hive on the top of our church steeple. We had to get the fire department to bring their truck over in order to get a bee keeper high enough to get it down. Close call. I hope all of you are well and safe now and the bees are gone.
I remember reading a book where a lady was attacked by bees and she was highly allergic to them, but I cannot remember the name of it. I think it was a contemporary western. If I find it I will let you know.
That sounds so scary. My dad is allergic to bees and my son is allergic to hornets.
Hi Marion, wow, that is crazy! My father in law is a beekeeper and whenever we visit we spend time out at the shed with him, helping out with the bees where we can. I have never experienced or heard of anything so crazy before! How heartbreaking to lose Baxter.
I cannot think of any books with bees in the title but I am pretty sure Valerie Comer has bees in her Farm Fresh romances- I remember the girls using honey instead of sugar.
Blessings:)
I can’t think of any romances with bees in them off the top of my head. What a horrific experience this must have been for you. We’ve been annoyed by a few Carpenter Bees coming in the house in the firewood but they haven’t been stinging at all. I’m so sorry about the dog but glad Danie is ok.
Paprika? That’s interesting, Cassandra. It’s amazing the healing properties in many spices. I’ll have to check that out. Could be handy information to be armed with :)
It was pretty intense, Mary, but I was watching as much as I could and taking photos. Good writing fodder :)
Wow Marion! I’m glad you are all okay! What a scary experience!
My sister-in-law who lives in England now is also highly allergic to bees and freaks out if one comes near. I’ve never seen them behave in the way they did. It was quite bizarre.
Thanks, Kathy. To my knowledge, they’ve gotten aggressive a few times, but never to this extent as to actually kill something on the farm.
Reminds me of the story we were told when we visited a wooden church in south-east Finland. The fire brigade was summoned because they thought this beautiful church was on fire. When they got there, it turned out to be bees that were swarming. I’d totally forgotten about that story until now.
It was pretty scary, Lori. LOL, I didn’t know if I was allergic to bees because I can’t recall ever being stung by one (hornets yes, several at once and it burnt like crazy). Well, after 8 stings at one time, I think I can safely say that I’m not allergic to bees :)
I was wondering if Valerie had anything … I even went to her website to check but couldn’t see anything obvious on her covers. Valerie … bees in your stories?
How interesting that your FIL is a beekeeper. That must be so interesting to help out.
Yes, the experience was quite bizarre. My sister and BIL were heartbroken to lose Baxter…he was their prize Rottweiler, and his loss comes merely three weeks after losing three of their other Rottweilers to poisoning (the joys of life in South Africa where crime is rampant).
Thank you, Sherri. Yep, these bees were angry and on a mission. I must say that I’m looking forward to reading Candice Sue Patterson’s book. It looks cute :)
Thanks, Ashley. You do know they say Africa isn’t for sissies :)
Hi Marion! What a horrific experience! When I was a teen, my mom was cleaning her rose bed and unearthed a wasp nest and was stung multiple times. Fortunately she was not allergic. Have been stung a few times by small honey bees. Our blueberry farmers bring in bees to cultivate the blueberry bushes every spring. Due to pesticides so many bees are dying. Fruit farmers are concerned. Haven’t heard of bees attacking people or animals.
Valerie Comer Farm Fresh Book Sweetened by Honey has a beekeeper. Beekeeper Sierra Riehl has spent three years helping keep Gabe’s health food store afloat while he worked with orphans in Romania. Now he’s back, but only to sell out. Can she hold him still long enough to spark a romance? Yet when Sierra begins to suspect she can’t give Gabe the life he deserves, her hope falters.
Best wishes and enjoy your weekend.
Book title is Sweetened with Honey.
That’s a frightening story! I used to keep bees but I’m surrounded by apple and pear orchards and the toxins they spray made my bees aggressive and also weak.
They would chase me and I would swell up huge and itchy for weeks at the sight of every sting.
Anyway the poor things were weakened I think by the spraying and the Yellow Jackets were able to kill them and clean everything out of their hives. They robbed them until the hives looked like they had never been inhabited.
No more honey for me!
But no more itchy, swollen stings either.
Our daughter is extremely allergic ri bees and was petrification to find a bee hive under the eaves of her house. My husband knew a man who keeps hives for their honey and this bee keeper came to the rescue. Honey from local bees is actually very much desired and he was glad to get it.
Glad that Daniel didn’t suffer any serious side effects.
Your experience with the bees is very scary! I was saddened to hear about the loss of your dog to the bees, I am happy that you and your families bee stings were treatable. I definitely learned some helpful information from you sharing your experience.
That is literally one of my nightmares. I saw part of a special on African bees as a kid and it terrified me. The closest experience I had was at bible school one summer we were playing outside and stepped on an underground yellow jacket nest. We all got several stings. The pastor felt terrible because it was in his yard.
What a terrifying experience! I’m allergic, but not to the point of needing an epipen. I get much larger welts than most people I know, they are fierier, and last longer. Very very painful but not, apparently life threatening. Whew!
We kept bees for six or seven years. North American honeybees are generally not vicious, and we suited up to work with them. I did get stung a few times, but never attacked like in your experience. Yikes! My niece’s father-in-law still keeps bees on our farm. It’s lovely for us because we get the benefits of better pollenization in the gardens and a gift of local honey every year, and Brian does all the work!
Yes, Sierra in Sweetened with Honey, part of the Farm Fresh Romance series, is a beekeeper. I included several scenes where she worked with the bees, extracted honey from hives, etc. The story begins with bee sting therapy for a woman with rheumatoid arthritis – the hero’s ex-mother-in-law. (Long story. 80,000 words, actually…)
In my newer Urban Farm Fresh Romance series, Jasmine is a beekeeper, but it’s more of an aside to the plot than a central aspect.
Yes, that’s the one! Thanks, Renate. :)
Yes, Sweetened with Honey! Thanks for remembering, Wemble!
Seems like my comment disappeared so trying again.
This sounds like a terrifying experience. As far as I know, I’ve never been stung by a bee and don’t want the experience. Our maintenance man at work is allergic to wasps, which we found out the difficult way, when he came inside one day and collapsed by the door. He’s been stung twice more since and both times he’s passed out, even after giving himself a shot. Scary stuff.
Hi Connie! Honey from local bees helps against hay fever and sinus allergies, since the bees pollinate the local flowers’ nectar. . Always try to support our local beekeeper.
Oh Marion, so glad you and family are ok!! I didn’t realize bees could be that aggressive. Praise Him you’re ok!
You’ll love Candace’s book! I’ve read it and it’s so good. She has another coming soon.
My cousins husband had passed a couple years ago from a bee sting. He couldn’t make it back to the house in time to get his eppie pen. It was heartbreaking. And his 6 year old daughter was with him also. She witnessed it all. I can’t imagine how she felt. So helpless.
I’m so glad that I found you and your books!!!
That’s scary. Our neighbor has a hive–not his–but those bees, thankfully, are not aggressive at all.
I’m sorry about the poor dog, and you all having to go through all that. I’m glad Danie was okay.
I have read The Secret Life Of Bees
Last summer, just before we were leaving for a 3 week trip, I was pulling weeds in our blueberry enclosure so the neighbor taking care of our cats could enjoy some of the berries while we were gone. Suddenly I felt a sting on my gloved hand, and a yellow jacket was there! Another one got me in the stomach, and a couple more places. Boy, did those stings hurt and itch! I suddenly had more sympathy for the time my husband had disturbed a yellow jacket nest and got stung about 20 times! Thankfully, neither of us are allergic. We bought spray to try and get rid of the yellow jacket nest before we left so the blueberries wouldn’t go to waste. The neighbor never was brave enough to check, and thankfully, the blueberries were still there to pick when we got home.
(I don’t need to be in the giveaway since I already have A Hero for Heater.)
Wow. Sorry for the experience. I don’t think I’ve read any books recently with bees or beekeepers…
Hi, Marion. I never saw bees swarm until I lived in the Galveston area of Texas. I was amazed at how many bees were all together in one place (sounds like a book title), and and can easily imagine how terrifying it would be if those bees suddenly turned aggressive. Oh, my! Very scary stuff!
Wow! What a story. I’ve never been stung by a bee so I have now idea if I am allergic to their sting. Let’s hope I never find out!
You dont need to include me in the draw for the book. Thanks though.
Oh my, this is a most interesting post. I am glad to hear that things are fine now. I am sorry to hear about you sisters one dog. They are such a part of our families.
Oh awesome! I’ll have to get that book :) Especially as we did a week mission trip to Romania to build houses for the gypsies. We also worked with their children.
I do hope that having had to take the hive away, doesn’t affect my brother-in-law’s crops. He farms with peaches, tomatoes, cabbage, and corn.
Wow, Dalyn. It’s crazy how aggressive they can get. Sounds like your bees might’ve been aggressive because of robbing (but, I’m no bee expert … just what I read last weekend on the internet after our experience :) )
Thanks, Connie. We were very glad to find a beekeeper who could come and take the hive away and use the bees. We discovered there are VERY hefty fines for killing bees here in SA, so glad that the beekeeper route was taken.
Thank you, Bernice. It was a crazy experience, and definitely “bookworthy”. LOL, just not sure when I’d write such a story…um, 2025?
Oh, poor pastor. Yep, they say the African honeybee is VERY aggressive. I still can’t believe they killed one of the dogs (and Baxter was a big dog). So sad.
Before this happened, I got voice notes from my two grandsons (aged 9 and 5), and they kept telling me they were praying for me. After the bee attack, I told my hubby to tell them their prayers were heard because we were all kept safe.
I thought you would have stories with bees, Valerie. Thanks for sharing. I’ll definitely have to get them and read them, they sound awesome.
Oops…
It is crazy how such tiny creatures can wield such power.
Thanks so much, Sharon. I’d always heard about African honeybees being the most aggressive, but I’d never before seen it. Definitely not an experience I’d like to repeat.
I look forward to getting Candace and Valerie’s books and reading them.
How awful and sad for your cousin and her daughter. :(
Thanks so much, Trudy. I’m glad you found me too :)
Thanks so much, Ginger. Hmm, I think I might look at Maya and The Bee Movie through different eyes :) Glad your neighbor’s bees aren’t aggressive.
Sounds like a wonderful story. I’ll have to look for the movie :)
Reminds me of another movie I saw, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe. The main character in the movie was also a beekeeper.
Marion, that is such a scary experience, I can certainly see you having in a story someday. I am sorry for Baxter, but glad the rest of you survived. So sad!
As for bees in books… Valerie’s Sweetened with Honey is one of my favorites and I still drink my mocha with honey on weekends from this story!❤️❤️
Wow! How scary! I’ve always been scared of bees so I probably would have fainted. lol
I’m so sorry about Baxter! I know that was probably the most painful part of the whole experience.
Wow! What an experience. I’m glad everyone is okay and I’m so sorry for your loss of Baxter. It must be really hard to lose a pet unexpectedly. Owning a beehive or two has sounded somewhat interesting to me but after your experience, I guess I should really think twice about it.
We don’t have yellow jackets in South Africa, but we do have black wasps. And we have hornets. Got stung by those beastly red things. It hurt like crazy.
Yay, you got your blueberries though.
Thankfully we survived reasonably unscathed. When I think of how things could have gone …
There is an Amish series with a beekeeper in it but I forget the title. I can’t imagine being trapped like that
It was crazy to see them buzzing and zooming all over. Even the day after the hive was taken, there were still quite a number of bees hanging about. Two of them even chased my niece’s 22 year old son who was trying to get to his car as he had to go back to university.
LOL, after I got stung, Susan, I wondered to myself if I had ever been stung by a bee. A hornet, yes, but bee? I actually didn’t know, so it was kind of a case of holding my breath until I knew I wasn’t :)
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post, Lori. Thanks for your kind words. What was worse for my sister is that they’d lost three Rottweilers only three weeks ago when they were poisoned by some criminal element in the area. And she loves her Rotties. Now she only has two left.
I’m definitely going to get Valerie’s book, Paula. Yes, I’m glad the bees didn’t get any of us. We even had to tell my niece to stay in town and not come home. And the maid was told not to come back to work. Anyone who came near the house would possibly have suffered the same fate as poor Baxter.
Yeah, I don’t like them myself. It was heartsore to realize the next day what had happened to poor Baxter, but it was just impossible to get out to check if he was all right.
Thank you, Jessica. Well, as long as you don’t intend to own a beehive in Africa…these bees are nasty here :)
The Honeybee Sisters series? The cover looks Amish :) It was weird to be held captive inside the house for three days by tiny insects :)
Hi Marion,
Wow, that must have been so scary!
I really don’t like bees. I remember getting stung as a child and it really wasn’t fun. The crazy thing is, last summer I was just standing out on our front porch talking to someone and I got bit by a bee on my leg. I don’t know where it came from and I wasn’t doing anything to attract it.
Here in Oregon, there are lots of bee farms, but I won’t go to them. However, I do LOVE honey.
The big problem we have here is – wasp -more than bees. It’s not nice. Those little wasps get under the roof eves and build nests everywhere. Sometimes they even get behind siding on the house. NOT GOOD!
I hope everything is back to normal and life has calmed down!
That is so sad about the dog, so dangerous for those allergic and scary when they swarm like that. Glad you got rid of them safely.
Linda Marie Finn
I do not know of any books with bees or bee keeper in the title. I am so sorry that Baxter died. He looked so beautiful in the picture you shared.
Oh my goodness, Marion! How scary. I’m sorry about your dog. I love honey, but bees not so much. I have a mild reaction to stings. Be safe.
How awful and scary! Poor Baxter. :( My husband asked if I wanted to take a class about beekeeping with him. I was actually thinking about it, but this totally scares me!
The only story I’ve read with any reference to bees was The Secret Life of Bees.
Wow!
Life is never dull for you.
I loved the blog post.
Wow! Your bee story is something else! I can totally envision bees swarming and just waiting for people to come out of your house. One time the house I was renting had bees nest between the bricks and the outside of the house then they started making their way inside so that was interesting but definitely not as intense as your situation!
There is an appearance of both a bee and sadly the little brother of the main character has an fatal allergy to the bee sting in the book “The Land of Silence” by Tessa Afshar. (It’s mentioned at the beginning of the book and is a defining moment in the life of the main character. It’s a really great read too! If you haven’t read it, you definitely need to put it on your to-read-next-list.) :)
It was pretty intense, Marylin, but thankfully, life is back to normal.
Tell me about those wasps. Many years ago, I sat down on my brother-in-law’s garden bench and there was a hornet’s nest under the bench. Those blighters buzzed out and zapped me several times. It was SOOO sore :)
Oh, no! Poor Baxter. That’s horrible. I can’t imagine what you all went through. Scary.
I used to be terrified of bees until I started researching them for How to Charm a Beekeeper’s Heart. The more I researched, the more fascinated I became. So much so, that last spring I purchased my first nuc (a started hive). I quickly discovered that a person can research all day long but actual beekeeping is on a whole other level. So far, they’re doing great. The hive has really grown and they’ve survived the worst part of the winter. I’m hoping to rob our first batch of honey this summer. I post beekeeping videos periodically on my Facebook page if you ever want to pop over and watch. However, if I had experienced what you just did, I probably wouldn’t want to see another bee for a looooong time.
African bees are definitely more aggressive than our European honeybees.
Thanks for the shout-out about my book! Each chapter starts with a bee fact or quote to make it fun.
Someone in this blog commented about beekeepers bringing in hives to pollinate the blueberry bushes. My book How to Stir a Baker’s Heart (which releases in April) is about a Maine blueberry farmer, and he pollinates his bushes using Huck’s bees (the hero from How to Charm a Beekeeper’s Heart).
Other books about bees, hmm…. I think there’s a secular romance called The Beekeeper’s Ball but I can’t remember who wrote it (I haven’t read it). There’s an Amish fiction from Thomas Nelson called The Beekeeper’s Son. The Secret Life of Bees, Fried Green Tomatoes…. Laura Frantz’s newest release A Bound Heart has a beekeeping heroine who transports beehives on a ship that sails from Europe to America (bees are not native to the U.S. so this was fascinating). And I believe Kristi Cambron’s lastest has something to do with bees.
Again, thanks for the shout-out! Praising God you’re all safe!
What a scary experience!
Absolutely agree, Linda :)
Thank you, Kerri. We’re sorry too. I actually decided tonight to call the dog in my current WIP, Baxter :)
I’m so sorry about Baxter! He was gorgeous! I can’t think of any books, but the movie My Girl comes to mind! Scary!
Thanks so much, Kimberly. Thankfully the hive has been taken away and the rest of the bees that remained have died off. Now we see the odd bee here and there.
Honey is one of my favorite things to cook with :)
I’d like to watch that movie, Dianna. Actually, it’s probably a good thing to take a class because you’ll likely learn how to deal with them, unlike us. I think our swatting at them only made matters worse :) And I think it would be really interesting. I’m sure they’d have you in all the protective gear :)
LOL, Linda. It seems not :) So glad you enjoyed the post.
LOL, Candi. They were wicked, and really were just waiting for someone to step outside. When Danie tried to let the dogs out later, they immediately got stung again and hightailed it back inside.
Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll definitely look it up.
Thanks for all that info, Candice. Now I’m even more eager to read How to Charm a Beekeeper’s Heart. I can only imagine how interesting the bee research is, as well as keeping your own hive. Well done!
Fried Green Tomatoes is one of my favorite movies :)
It was pretty intense, Merrillee :)
He was, Jimette, my sister’s champion. Poor thing.
I love doing puzzles and can also easily get lost in them!
Yay Valerie! I knew I had read about a heroine keeping bees in one of your books! ??
Oh, Marion, it must have been terrible! My grandpa had a history with bees following him and he had to jump on a lake to get rid of them. Luckily he wasn’t allergic! I’m glad your brother-in-law didn’t have any anaphylactic reaction,.
Hope you guys can leave the house safely very soon.
Oh goodness – that’s terrible!! I hope all settles down soon. I can’t think of any books with bees in the story or title.
I remember one day there was a bee inside near the window, the phone was near it and the phone rang. I was in the process of whacking a bee with a paper and it was the Pastor. I hit it and of course my voice raised as I did. Had to apologise and explain what had happened. Mum was in her chair panicking because of the bee. I hope they are more undercontrol now.
Wow, Marion, what an adventure…you should write it into the story!
I can’t even think of any stories with bees…hm
Oh, they are soooo addictive, Christie. Takes a lot of will power to ignore them when they’re there :)
LOL, washing them off with water was the first thing I thought of when I couldn’t stop them coming at me. Amazing how instinct kicks in :) I was really glad too that Danie didn’t have a bad reaction. I think overdosing him on antihistamines helped thought.
All fine on the farm now, but we were pretty housebound from last Friday to Monday. Can’t believe it was only a week ago.
All’s well now, Ellie. Very glad we don’t have to be concerned about the bees now.
Oh, Natalya, I definitely won’t let this experience go to waste :) Yay, writing fodder :)
Hi Marion I am highly allergic to bee stings I swell up looking like a Monster I have to have an EPI-PEN at all times Love The cover of your book!
Oh, Sarah, that’s awful. I’m so sorry. I hope you never have to use that epi-pen. And thanks, I love Heather’s cover too.
Wow, that’s a scary story. I’m happy I wasn’t there. I would totally freak out.
But what got me smiling here was the puzzle thing. My husband loves puzzles and convinced me we had to start working on them when we were dating.. back then we were brave (and naive). We bought a 3000 piece very complex one. It took us 3 years to finish (because we were only dating). After we got married we bought way too many puzzles (smaller ones ranging from 500 to 2000 pieces), but our main challenge was a 6000 piece puzzle… which turned out not to be a challenge at all, it took us all of 3 months to finish (beauty of living together… and, well, I’d have to say the color pattern did help).
LOL, Priscila, I did freak out a little :) Oh those puzzles…so addictive. I don’t like to tackle anything larger than a 2000 piece, and normally opt for 1500. My son had a 4000 piece. Took them months to complete, and a lot of space required. 6000? I don’t think I’d have the energy.
It was kind of crazy to try for a 6000 piece one, but we were going into winter and trying to have a baby.. so we thought we had a lot of time, it turned out it was fast because it was mostly following a color pattern (someone posted about having a hard time, but we thought it wasn’t very challenging: https://www.flickr.com/photos/127334021@N04/32759979851). This was much unlike the 3000 piece one of a painting of Roman paintings (https://br.pinterest.com/pin/766104586588968671/).
Oh yes, I could see that 6000 piece being quite easy :) But whoa, that 3000 Roman paintings one … Ouch!
What a horrific – and fascinating! – story!! You know you’re a writer when your first thought is to use an experience in your next book! LOL! So sad about the dog, though! Oh my!
My favorite “bee” book is “Keeper of the Bees” by Gene Stratton-Porter, published in 1925! I highly recommend it!
Haha, Regina, you’re so right on the “ooh, this is a great story prompt.” :) Thanks for the book recommendation.
Marion, it was really scary going through this with you “live” as prayer support. What a nightmare. Praise the Lord you guys and the other dogs survived, but what a horrible experience. And poor, poor Baxter. A number of your comments include folk who have had allergic reactions to stings. Please note that reactions usually escalate with each sting, so they MUST see to it that they have appropriate medication on them at all times.
Thanks for being there as prayer support, Shirl. It’s a comfort to know that as Christians, no matter what we are going through, there’s a community of like-minded friends around the world willing to stand in the gap for you.
Yes Marion I have had to use the Epi-pen before and it is not fun that’s for sure!
So sorry, Sarah :(
Thank you everyone for commenting and participating in this blog. The winner is Renate Pennington. As Renate has read A Hero for Heather, I’ve given her the choice of my books. Renate, congratulations and don’t forget to let me know which book you want.