RATTLESNAKES AND HONEYBEES

HELLO DEAR READERS, AS YOU MAY KNOW, I AM ON VACATION. I AM IN EL PASO WITH MY DAUGHTER JESSICA AND HER TWO SONS, ELI AND JACOB. WE DROVE OUT HERE, STOPPING IN SAN ANTONIO AND THEN JOHNSON CITY ON THE WAY. WE HAD PLANNED TO GO TO SAN ANTONIO SEA WORLD ON FRIDAY, BUT WE COULD NOT GET IN, AS IT WAS SO CROWDED. WE WERE DISAPPOINTED, BUT WE DECIDED TO GO TO THE ZOO INSTEAD. THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE NICEST ZOO THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN. IT IS SO LOVELY WITH NATURAL SETTINGS FOR THE ANIMALS, AND I GUESS THAT IT WAS NICER FOR ME AS I RENTED A MOTORIZED SCOOTER TO GET AROUND IN. IT WAS SO VERY HOT OUTSIDE, 104 DEGREES, BUT THERE WAS LOTS OF SHADE TO HIDE IN. THERE WAS A HUGE FLOCK OF FLAMINGOS AND EVEN A STORK. MOST AMAZING WAS THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN, AND WHEN WE WENT IN, WE WERE TAUGHT HOW TO ENTICE A BUTTERFLY TO LAND ON YOU HAND. IT WAS MAGICAL, TO HAVE THE BUTTERFLYS FLITTING ALL ABOUT, AND LANDING WITHOUT FEAR. THE COLORS WERE REALLY SUPERB- I JUST LOVED IT. THERE WERE SO MANY ANIMALS AND IT WAS SO LOVELY, AND I TOLD SISSY (JESSICA) THAT I COULD STAY THERE FOREVER. WELL RIGHT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE BOYS WANTED A DRINK. BEING NANA, I TOOK THE PRIVILEGE OF "SPOILING" THEM FOR THE DAY, AND READILY AGREED TO BUY THEM A DRINK. I STOPPED AT THE NEAREST SNACK BAR AND CHEERFULLY TOOK OUT MY WALLET, LOOKING FOR SOME COTTON CANDY OR SOME OTHER NO NO TO GO WITH THE DRINKS. SOMETHING FLITTED BY MY EAR. SOMETHING BUZZED PAST MY EYES. SOMETHING BRUSHED MY ARM. SUDDENLY, I WAS SURROUNDED BY HONEYBEES! NOT ONE OR TWO, BUT QUITE A FEW. SISSY SQUEALED AND RAN, THE BOYS FOLLOWING IN HOT PURSUIT. THESE BEES WERE COMING SO CLOSE TO MY FACE AND AROUND MY CHEST- AND THEN IT HAPPENED. ONE OF THEM FLEW DOWN INTO MY BRA! I SHRIEKED AND THREW MY WALLET AT THE LADY BEHIND THE COUNTER, AND STARTED YANKING UP MY SHIRT. I YELLED, "IT'S COMING OFF, STAND BACK!" JUST ABOUT THE TIME THE BOTTOM OF MY SHIRT CLEARED MY CHEST, THE BEE FLEW OUT AGAIN. I BEGAN TO FLAP AT THE AIR WITH MY STRAW HAT TO RUN THE BEES OFF, BUT TO NO AVAIL. MY WALLET WAS CLEAR INTO THE SNACK BAR, AND THE LADY WAS YELLING AT ME TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. MY LOVING DAUGHTER WAS FRANTICALLY LOOKING FOR HER CAMERA TO CAPTURE THIS KODAK MOMENT ON FILM, BUT THE JOKE WAS ON HER, THE CAMERA WAS IN MY SHIRT POCKET. THE SNACK BAR LADY HAD FIXED THE DRINKS I ORDERED, BUT I COULDN'T GET TO THEM BECAUSE THE BEES WERE STILL FLITTING AROUND ME. ELI RAN OVER AND GRABBED THE DRINKS AND WENT BACK TO HIS MAMA, AND I TOLD THE SNACK BAR LADY THAT I COULDN'T PAY HER IF SHE DIDN'T GIVE ME BACK MY WALLET. I THREW A FEW BILLS ON THE COUNTER AND GUNNED THE SCOOTER, TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THE BEES. I THINK THEY WERE SWARMING ME BECAUSE I WAS NEXT TO THE TRASH CAN WHILE I WAS AT THE SNACK BAR. I YELLED AT SISSY AND THE BOYS TO COME ON, AND I SCOOTED ON ALONG THE TRAIL I TOLD SISSY THAT MAYBE MY PERFUME HAD ATTRACTED THE BEES, I COULD THINK OF NO OTHER EXPLANATION. SHE CAME UP WITH THE TRASH CAN THEORY, BUT IT DIDN'T MATTER, AS WE FINALLY GOT AWAY FROM THEM. AS ANOTHER LADY AND HER CHILDREN WERE GOING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SNACK BAR, I TOLD HER ABOUT TEH BEES. SHE SAID SHE WOULD BE CAREFUL, AND I TOLD HER I DIDN'T THINK THERE WAS ANYTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, BUT JUST WATCH FOR THEM. I TOLD SISSY THAT I WAS GLAD TO HAVE FINALLY EVADED THOSE PESTY BUGGERS, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, I FELT A STING ON MY UPPER ARM. ONE OF THSOE LITTLE MONSTERS HAD HITCHED A RIDE AND DECIDED TO STING ME. HE GOT ME THROUGH MY SHIRT SO IT WASN'T TOO BAD, BUT GOODNESS- I CAN'T BEE-LIEVE THAT EXPERIENCE! WE HAVE LAUGHED ABOUT IT SINCE- BUT I SURE WISH THE CAMERA HAD NOT BEEN IN MY SHIRT POCKET!
THE NEXT DAY, WE LEFT EARLY AND GOT INTO SEA WORLD. AGAIN, I RENTED A SCOOTER- MY PRIDE IS NOT WORTH BEING MISERABLE FOR HOURS AT AN AMUSEMENT PARK! AGAIN, IT WAS 104 DEGREES, BUT THIS TIME THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SHADE. THANKFULLY I HAD A LARGE FLOPPY HAT, AND THAT HELPED. WE STAYED FOR HOURS, GOING FROM AREA TO AREA. THE BOYS HAD A BALL, AND I HAD A WONDERFUL TIME WATCHING THEM. WE SAW THE "SHAMU" PERFORMANCE, AND ALL I COULD DO WAS SNIFFLE AND CRY THE WHOLE TIME. IT WAS SO MOVING TO WATCH THOSE FABULOUS ANIMALS PERFORM FOR US. WE THEN WENT AND SAW THE HIPPOPOTOMUS' AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE TO SEE THEM SO CLOSE UP. THEY WERE IN WATER BEHIND GLASS, AND YOU COULD GO RIGHT UP TO THE GLASS AND GET FACE TO FACE WITH THEM. (ONE OF THEM EVEN POOPED FOR US, NOW THAT IS SOMETHING I NEVER THOUGHT TO SEE!) SEA WORLD WAS EXCEPTIONAL, AND I HOPE TO GO AGAIN. WE THEN VISITED FRIENDS IN JOHNSON CITY TX AND SPENT THE NIGHT WITH THEM OUT IN THE COUNTRY. IT WAS SO LOVELY, SO MANY BIRDS AND ANIMALS JUST OUT IN THE WILD. I AM TRULY THANKFUL FOR HEAVENLY FATHER'S GIFTS OF NATURE.
THEN, IT WAS TIME TO GET ON THE ROAD. THE TRIP WAS LONG BUT HAPPY. WE WERE SO HAPPY TO GET TO AARON'S HOUSE AND SEE SARAH, AARON AND THE KIDS. THEY LIVE UP IN THE MOUNTAINS, SORT OF, AND TODAY SISSY, THE CHILDREN AND I DECIDED TO DRIVE UP INTO THE MOUNTAINS TO LOOK AROUND. WE FOUND A HISTORICAL MONUMENT ON THE EDGE OF A CANYON, AND DECIDED TO TAKE PICTURES. THE DROP BEHIND THE EDGE OF THE CANYON WAS QUITE DEEP, SO WE WANTED TO TAKE GREAT CARE. WE CLIMBED UP ON A ROCK AND POSED FOR SEVERAL PICTURES WITH THE MAGNIFICENT MOUNTAINS IN THE BACKGROUND. SUDDENLY, SISSY SAID, "OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH, GET IN THE CAR!" I ARGUED THAT I WANTED TO TAKE MORE PICTURES, BUT SHE INSISTED THAT WE GET INTO THE CAR IMMEDIATLY. "PARTY POOPER" I TOLD HER. THE CHILDREN OBEYED HER RIGHT AWAY, BUT I LINGERED A BIT MORE, AND SHE TURNED AND SNAPPED, "MOTHER! GET IN THE CAR!" I GOT DOWN OFF THE ROCK, AND AS I WAS HEADING FOR THE CAR, SHE CAME BACK AND WHISPERED, "THERE IS A RATTLESNAKE JUST BEHIND THE ROCK NEXT TO THE ONE WE WERE POSING ON". I TOLD HER, "WELL, TAKE A PICTURE OF IT!" THEN I REALIZED THAT WE NEEDED TO GET AWAY FROM IT, AND BELIVE ME, I HURRIED ALONG MUCH FASTER. I DID NOT SEE THE SNAKE, BUT I HEARD IT, AND THAT IS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME! I WILL TRY TO WRITE AS SOON AS I CAN WHILE ON VACATION, SO CHECK BACK. UNTIL THEN, I LOVE YOU ALL, LOVE, NANASEE