I seem to have more than my share of bad luck, so it’s worth noting when good fortune smiles my way.
Yesterday afternoon I was mowing at my church, as I do every week. I was on the riding mower, going back and forth on a level area of lawn. As I approach the middle of this particular section, I noticed what looked like bugs flying around.
As I get closer, my vision improved, and I saw that it wasn’t just a few insects, but dozens–perhaps more than one hundred–swarming low around a spot on the ground.
Whoa! I’ve seen this act before. Those weren’t bugs, they were yellow jackets, and they were all riled up.
I spot several of them headed in my direction. I lift up on the mower’s forward pedal and slam down the reverse pedal. The mower doesn’t go fast backwards, at all. And it never seemed slower than it did at that moment. But somehow I managed to get away without being stung.
Minutes later I approached the scene again, much more carefully–on foot–to assess the situation. There was indeed a hole in the ground, with a steady stream of yellow jackets going in and out.
My first pass had been close enough that the mower vibrations had stirred them up from the depths of the nest. But I was going fast enough to escape the initial wave of danger. By the time I returned for the second pass, they had assumed their battle stations and were ready to attack.
Needless to say, this encounter surprised me. Last time I mowed, I didn’t see a sign of yellow jackets. Seven days later, there’s a nest with hundreds of them. Sometimes nature is unpredictable.
As I said, this isn’t my first run-in with yellow jackets. A couple summers ago I mowed over a nest and got stung three times. Those things really hurt. I’m very thankful this confrontation wasn’t as painful. It could have been much worse.