This one may best be appreciated by those who've had their run ins with those fiercely brave carpenter bees.
I own a wood home and get enjoyment out of it, and with the spring season it didn't take me too long to discover carpenter bees also share my sentiments. They like to boar holes in the trimming that hangs just behind the gutters. There they lay their eggs. It is an unpleasant intrusion that can dampen my enjoyment of the season.
I used to try and shoo them away, yet I discovered for little critters they are quite brave. If they mark you as a threat they have this way of getting in your face while flying suspended in mid-air, you know, like helicopters do. They flap their wings while going nowhere, a sobering picture of what our lives can be like when we've lost our head named Jesus.
With determined resolve I approach my home invaders equipped with my battle gear: my hose, my poison, and for extra measure, my broom. Even so, my collection of household weapons doesn't seem to phase them. In an impressive display of aggressive bravado they get right in my face in a challenging and ugly face-off, and maybe I've inhaled too many fumes, but I can almost hear them say, "Go ahead, make my day."
Really, it's like being caught up in some awful, western flick set in the wild, wild west.
Well, I ain't no John Wayne in some make believe movie so that is about the time I drop my battle gear and go running to save my hind, for although they come from the smaller life form these critters are armed with a large barrel, and if their barrel is a valid indicator of the ammunition within I prefer to dodge that bullet than get stung.
No kidding, they look like overgrown bumble bees. Critters in the south make the ones up north look like child's play. It may have something to do with the sun and heat. I think it is the male that doesn't carry a loaded barrel, but you think I can tell which is which? Either way, I'm not taking my chances. Although, I've also given them a run for their money. I've got my days.
On a good day I can be a pretty quick draw, and on my slower days I've sometimes wondered what my neighbors thought the times I went running while a hollaring. They may be observing from their windows saying, "Look honey, that neighbor of ours done lost it again. She's running around hitting herself on the head."
That be in case one landed in my hair.
Amazing how much terror a little life can strike, for they've earned the respect of those of us who have been the unfortunate victims of their flight. We know not to under estimate them by their size.
And really, you can waste more energy, grow more aggravated, and such trying to rid your home of them. They really don't cause that much harm so I find I am better off just letting them do their thing for the season. Although, I do recognize a better route is preventive maintenance, to fill in the old holes with quality material and make sure my paint job along the trimmings is well kept.
Reminds me of life itself, how some small thing comes along in our lives flapping its wings and going nowhere. We can waste much time and energy trying to deal with it when in actuality it doesn't cause that much harm. We are much better off keeping our eyes on Jesus and keeping the maintenance up on our homes (personal lives). Much better to come from an offensive position within rather than trying to gain ground from a defensive one.
Furthermore, these pesky critters don't seem to be looking to bother me. They just try and defend what they see as their ground when I get too close and start to challenge them. Although, I wish they could see the view from my side and how they can get in my way when I am trying to work on my home. They appear to perceive it as theirs and look to challenge me. Whose home is it anyway? The answer may be both as it is in its present state.
And this seems to be the way God set things in place in nature. Those things that are wood in our lives will benefit from some challenges. And as we journey through life these challenges can serve to show us issues with the foundation in our homes if we find that they are shaken by these little annoyances. If that is the case, more than maintenance is called for. It is true that my home invaders also have an important role in the larger picture of life.
In the meantime, I see it as beneficial to keep the maintenance up while I let go of these little annoyances in favor of my eyes on Jesus, and most important is the life within as I grow in my intimate relationship with Him; to keep an open heart before my Lord while He turns my home to gold.
As such, those pesky critters will no longer find it an adequate place to call home and vacate the premises on their own.
What's with the Buzz?
Ah springtime, it is a season blossoming in new growth after a restful one of hibernation. What a lovely display of new life, warmth, and a fresh new start. Then, just when we begin to join nature in its enjoyment, we spot them. Along with the entrance of this new season are those pesky little critters we are asked to share our lives with.I own a wood home and get enjoyment out of it, and with the spring season it didn't take me too long to discover carpenter bees also share my sentiments. They like to boar holes in the trimming that hangs just behind the gutters. There they lay their eggs. It is an unpleasant intrusion that can dampen my enjoyment of the season.
I used to try and shoo them away, yet I discovered for little critters they are quite brave. If they mark you as a threat they have this way of getting in your face while flying suspended in mid-air, you know, like helicopters do. They flap their wings while going nowhere, a sobering picture of what our lives can be like when we've lost our head named Jesus.
With determined resolve I approach my home invaders equipped with my battle gear: my hose, my poison, and for extra measure, my broom. Even so, my collection of household weapons doesn't seem to phase them. In an impressive display of aggressive bravado they get right in my face in a challenging and ugly face-off, and maybe I've inhaled too many fumes, but I can almost hear them say, "Go ahead, make my day."
Really, it's like being caught up in some awful, western flick set in the wild, wild west.
Well, I ain't no John Wayne in some make believe movie so that is about the time I drop my battle gear and go running to save my hind, for although they come from the smaller life form these critters are armed with a large barrel, and if their barrel is a valid indicator of the ammunition within I prefer to dodge that bullet than get stung.
No kidding, they look like overgrown bumble bees. Critters in the south make the ones up north look like child's play. It may have something to do with the sun and heat. I think it is the male that doesn't carry a loaded barrel, but you think I can tell which is which? Either way, I'm not taking my chances. Although, I've also given them a run for their money. I've got my days.
On a good day I can be a pretty quick draw, and on my slower days I've sometimes wondered what my neighbors thought the times I went running while a hollaring. They may be observing from their windows saying, "Look honey, that neighbor of ours done lost it again. She's running around hitting herself on the head."
That be in case one landed in my hair.
Amazing how much terror a little life can strike, for they've earned the respect of those of us who have been the unfortunate victims of their flight. We know not to under estimate them by their size.
And really, you can waste more energy, grow more aggravated, and such trying to rid your home of them. They really don't cause that much harm so I find I am better off just letting them do their thing for the season. Although, I do recognize a better route is preventive maintenance, to fill in the old holes with quality material and make sure my paint job along the trimmings is well kept.
Reminds me of life itself, how some small thing comes along in our lives flapping its wings and going nowhere. We can waste much time and energy trying to deal with it when in actuality it doesn't cause that much harm. We are much better off keeping our eyes on Jesus and keeping the maintenance up on our homes (personal lives). Much better to come from an offensive position within rather than trying to gain ground from a defensive one.
Furthermore, these pesky critters don't seem to be looking to bother me. They just try and defend what they see as their ground when I get too close and start to challenge them. Although, I wish they could see the view from my side and how they can get in my way when I am trying to work on my home. They appear to perceive it as theirs and look to challenge me. Whose home is it anyway? The answer may be both as it is in its present state.
And this seems to be the way God set things in place in nature. Those things that are wood in our lives will benefit from some challenges. And as we journey through life these challenges can serve to show us issues with the foundation in our homes if we find that they are shaken by these little annoyances. If that is the case, more than maintenance is called for. It is true that my home invaders also have an important role in the larger picture of life.
In the meantime, I see it as beneficial to keep the maintenance up while I let go of these little annoyances in favor of my eyes on Jesus, and most important is the life within as I grow in my intimate relationship with Him; to keep an open heart before my Lord while He turns my home to gold.
As such, those pesky critters will no longer find it an adequate place to call home and vacate the premises on their own.
