Day 526

I spent the day going back and forth between writing about expensive watches inside and killing bees outside. Dealing with the growing bee problem kind of keeps things in perspective. I decided to get serious about the bees today. I went out and bought some water soluable pesticide that was supposed to be effective with bee infestations. I then filled up a pressure sprayer, and went after the hive. The pressure sprayer could spray the insecticide about twenty feet, so I didn't have to get too close to the bees. I got stung anyway, of course. Once I started hitting the target, it looked like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie. Thousands and thousands of bees came pouring out of the hole in the wood where the hive was. I kept spraying, but the bees didn't seem to be dying. I just seemed to be making them angry. As the swarm of angry bees grew larger, I retreated inside the house and made a phone call to the pest control company. "What do I do now," I asked. They told me that the insecticide didn't work instantly, but after it dried on the surfaces I sprayed, the bees would eventually die after coming in contact with it. We'll see.

Luckily the bee infestation is in a narrow, no man's land on the side of the yard that is fenced off from the dogs. I don't want either of them to get anywhere near the insecticide, but I do want the bees to go away. I sprayed two gallons of the stuff today. Hopefully, that will take care of the problem.

I bought a new large-format printer for the office today as well, but I can't have it delivered until I can figure out how to get rid of the old printer. These large printers are basically like a bank safe. They're so heavy that once you put them in place, you just don't move them anymore. I'm going to have to find some friends to help me move the printer, because I definitely can't lift it myself.

I was shocked when I turned on the TV this morning and discovered that Mark Haynes was dead. Mark had been a part of my breakfast routine for many years. I would watch Squawk on the Street every morning on CNBC as I ate my pancakes or eggs to see what was happening with the market that day. Jeez, I saw Mark on TV just yesterday and everything seemed just fine. His co-host Erin Burnett left the show a few weeks earlier as well. My mornings won't be the same anymore. When I think about this unexpected death, along with the equally unexpected tornado that completely destroyed Joplin, Missouri the other day, it is abundantly clear that we shouldn't take anything in life for granted. I guess all we can really do is live our lives one day at a time and try our best to make the most out each and every day.

Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day