Yellow Jackets, Porch Swing and Morning Ritual

Porch swing, "transportable" plastic chair, & baby greenhouse

This morning, as every other morning, I set about preparing for my morning ritual.  I collected my coffee, house phone, cell phone, blue ink pen, notepad, Aromatherapy book, lap pad to lay my book on, small wicker basket to put ALLLLL of my stuff in, and headed for the backyard where I sit for a couple of hours every morning to reading/studying/devour my book of choice for the day.  I either set in my comfy plastic chair (because I can move it wherever I want to sit), or on the porch swing.  Today I decided to sit on the porch swing, as I haven't set there in a week or so.  When I set down, I felt like my knees were up to my chest.  I got up and looked at the swing and realized the legs of the swing set had buried themselves into the ground.  I know from past experience that if I pull the legs out of the ground, they're just gonna sink in again.  So I decided to take the easier route and raise the swing up.  I raised one side of the swing, then went to the other side and reached up and put my hands on the chain to remove it from the hook so I could raise it...that's when I noticed movement.  I looked and about one inch from my hands was a big yellow jacket home with about 20 yellow jackets all looking at me and let me tell you, they did not look happy at all.  Of course, this made me squeal and jump, which scared me more because I know they attack, as I've been the recipient of many attacks from those horrid beasts.   I squatted down and tiptoed away.  When I got around the corner, I ran in the house and told my husband where the angry little things were.  While I hid in the house, like any sane person would, he went outside and killed them, then I went back out and raised the other side of my swing, and set about completing my morning ritual. 

View from porch swing

This is the view I see when I sit on my porch swing.  It's our pasture, but not our horses, those belong to the neighbor, but they look real pretty in our pasture and help create a calm, relaxing feel.  See my poor Mimosa tree?  Last year it was so beautiful, but the drought last summer almost killed it.  Most of the limbs are dead.  I want to cut them off but if I do, the tree will be nearly naked.  I think I'll wait until fall to do it.

Panoramic view, how pretty.  No wonder I like to set in the back yard in the morning.