July 30, 2013
At Genehouse a swarm of yellow jackets have built an underground nest not six feet from my front porch. This morning I sat and drank green tea and watched the frenzied colony from the dining room window.
In the 80’s, I was mass stung by yellow jackets on the Appalachian Trail. It took me three days (no food or water) just to stand and move again and make my way down the mountain. Now a single bee sting sends me to the hospital.
So these marvelous creatures must die, that I may live; only the morning rain is stopping the killing. I got the Wild West kill em and chill em speech from an enthusiastic saleswoman at Home Depot as she sold me the solution.
Do yellow jackets know joy? There will be mass death when the sun returns.
Only the rain is stopping the killing.
About Eugene Jones Baldwin
I am a writer: non-fiction, fiction, journalism (Alton Telegraph), essays (The Genehouse Chronicles) and have a website: eugenebaldwin.com. I've published a couple dozen short stories and had eleven plays produced. Current projects: "Brother of the Stones" (available on Kindle), a book of short stories; "The Faithful Husband of the Rain, short stories"; "A Black Soldier's Letters Home, WWII,;" "There is No Color in Justice," a commentary on racism; "Ratkillers," a new play.
I am an avocational archaeologist and I take parts of my collection of several thousand Indian artifacts (personal finds) to schools, nature centers, libraries etc. and talk about the 20,000 year history of The First people in Illinois. (See link to website)
I'm also a playwright (eleven plays produced), musician, historian (authority on the Underground Railroad in Illinois, the Tuskegee Airmen) and teacher.
