The Bees Knees

I know, its the second day in a row of a bumble bee - but the truth is that they will soon disappear and I won't see much of them until the middle of summer.  Right now only the queens are around (males all die in the fall) so they are busy fueling up to raise the first generation of this year's colony.  They hibernate in burrows or under leaf little or other protected areas after having been "fertilized" in the fall.  The Queen raises this first brood unaided so it is imperative that she finds food sources.  So the hundred or so bumble bees that are busy feeding on our cherry trees will soon disappear as the trees are now past peak bloom and losing a lot of their blossoms.  Later in the summer, our garden will be abuzz with worker bumble bees while the queens stay in the underground colony.  

Interestingly, there were no queen carpenter bees today - I am not sure if cooler temps kept them to ground or if they've already moved on.  The fascinating world of insects...

My visit with the oncologist this morning went well.  She is sending me for an abdominal ultrasound to rule out anything in the cancer arena, although my blood work is all within normal ranges and I have no symptoms other that weight loss and tiredness.  She feels that cancer is unlikely, but best to rule it out and then let my primary doctor take over to try to figure out what is happening.  It could all be stress I suppose although I don't feel more stressed than usual.  Anyway, I feel better knowing that I will soon be able to rule out cancer.

Jax was a trooper at obedience class last night.  Because of the weather, there were only 2 pups there instead of the usual 5-6 so we got lots of individual attention.  The concentration now is on loose-lead walking, staying, and leaving distractions alone.  So we were doing all of our work in the aisles of the store where the instructor put little piles of delicious treats, tempting plush toys and her own dog as distractions.  Both students at various points during the hour managed to grab some of the treats - and that was too much for the instructor's impeccably trained dog, Rocky, who decided that he needed to get in on the action and grab some treats.  It was all very funny.  After class we fitted Jax for his prong collar and we will start putting it on him for various times during the day to let him get used to it.  Today he and I went for a walk and Hubs and I have both played ball in the yard with him.

This morning I joined a zoom yoga class which Jax always loves - he likes to lay down right next to me and sleep while I'm trying to do various poses around his 55 pound body.  Still, it was a good practice today and I felt much more fluid after.

Dark with nuts today.  And virtual cocktails with the besties tonight.  Happy Friday!

xo
Debbi